Alien Upgrade
by Soccer-Geek
Summary: Pt. 2 in the Alien Uprising Trilogy. Following the battle on New Year's Eve, the Tokyo Defenders still have many questions: Who are the Green and Red Knights? What is it that Mylo seeks? And could it possibly be more powerful than Mew Aqua? The Tokyo Defenders are ready to take this war up a notch. But then again, so is Mylo. It's time for an Upgrade. Pairings listed inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to the second installment of the Alien Uprising Trilogy: Alien Upgrade!  
**  
***EDIT* This will be updated sporadically until further notice. Explanation in second chapter.**

**This story is rated T for violence, blood, hint of lime, character abuse, etc.**

**Pairings included: Kish/Ichigo, Pie/Lettuce, Tart/Pudding, Shinji (OC)/Mint, Ryou/Zakuro, Keiichiro/Rin (OC), Masaya/Homare (OC).**

**I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew, and I never will. However, I do lay claim to any and all OCs this story includes.**

**I hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter One:

Ichigo frowned as Kish let out a hacking, painful cough. She gently rubbed his back as he wheezed.

"It hurts," Kish moaned, rubbing his chest with his hand as he leaned back against the pillows.

"I know it does," Ichigo said soothingly. She cupped his warm cheek in her hand, and he leaned his head in, her skin soothingly cool against the fever. "And I know you're in pain. Just relax, Rirī's working on making you something so that you can sleep."

Kish nodded and leaned against her, Ichigo wrapping her arms around him.

Ichigo looked across the room, where Lettuce was going through a similar process with Pie, gently stroking his ears to get him to relax. In between the two couples was Pudding, lying on Tart's bed, Tart gently stroking her hair and holding her as she coughed.

Lettuce and Ichigo met each other's gaze sadly. They were both worried about their boyfriends and teammate. It had been a two days since the New Year's Eve battle, and Kish, Pudding and Pie had been sick for a little over twenty-four hours now. The cough had started out innocent enough, but within a few hours it got so that they could barely breathe and couldn't keep standing.

Lettuce waited anxiously as Rirī placed her ear against Pie's back, his forehead leaning against Lettuce's shoulder. The healer-in-training frowned and gently eased Pie back into his previous position of lying against propped up pillows. To both girls' relief, Pie's eyes were still closed, indicating that he was still sleeping.

"I think we're going to have to take them to the hospital," Rirī said, gently placing her hand on Pie's sweaty forehead. She scowled at how warm his skin was under her hand. "I think they have pneumonia."

"Rirī," Ichigo said softly as she ran her fingers over Kish's hair, the teenage boy sleeping restlessly despite the sleeping medication Rirī had given him. "I'm starting to think that this is beyond being sick."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked as she entered the room carrying a tray full of glasses of water.

"I mean, I think there is something wrong," Ichigo said. "I've just got this feeling that there is something really, really wrong with them, but we're overlooking something."

"I think Ichigo's right," Mint said as she, Zakuro, Ryou and Keiichiro entered the room. "There is something happening to Kish, Pudding and Pie. The way they are now, I don't think there is any possible way for this to happen overnight."

"I agree," Rirī said. She took a deep breath and said, "We're missing something. A little key fact that could help us help them."

"It's like we have to play the game from kindergarten," Zakuro said. "You know, when the teacher sets down an apple, an orange and a pear and asks what they have in common."

"We just have to ask what Pudding, Kish and Pie have in common." Keiichiro said.

"They have all been sick a lot," Rōzu said from her chair.

"That's right," Rin said, remembering. "They all had laryngitis last month."

"And colds in November," Ichigo added.

"And the stomach bug in October," Lettuce said. "But how does being sick then have anything to do with them being sick now?"

"No one else got sick," Ryou said. "That must mean that something happened to only them that didn't happen to anyone else."

"They all had nightmares followed by seizures," Mint said, trying to wrack her memory.

Tart suddenly sat up straighter, his eyes wide.

"Mylo's knife," He muttered.

"What about it?" Rin asked.

"They were all hurt by Mylo's knife," Tart said. "Originally Kish when Mylo tried to kill him, Pie when Mylo stabbed his leg, and Pudding…" Tart looked sadly at the girl sleeping beside him. "Pudding was sliced when she saved me."

Everyone turned to look at Rirī.

"Is it possible that there was something on the knife that has made them sick?" Zakuro asked.

Rirī scowled but nodded.

"It's not uncommon for Cyniclon warriors to put poison into or on blades," Rirī said. "It also makes sense as to why when Masaya and I studied Pie and Pudding's blood samples we found an unusual amount of white blood cells. Yes. I believe they've been poisoned."

"Okay," Keiichiro said, taking a deep breath. "What kind?"

"I don't know," Rirī said. "If I did, I would have thought of it back when they had the seizures and nightmares. When the Mew Aqua was used to restore Cynnth, new species of plants appeared, and all the properties of those plants have yet to be discovered. If I don't know the poison, I can't find the antidote."

"This is my fault," Ichigo mumbled, grasping Kish's hand.

"How is it your fault?" Mint asked. "You're not the one who poisoned the blade or stabbed anyone with it."

"I threw the knife back at Mylo the very first time we battled him, remember?" Ichigo said. "And he caught it. I as good as hurt Pudding and Pie."

"It should be me," Tart murmured, pulling Pudding to his chest as he closed his eyes. "It should be me instead of her. She shouldn't have saved me."

Lettuce stood up, her eyes full of fire and she alternately glared at Ichigo and Tart.

"Look, you two, feeling guilty about other people's actions isn't going to help anyone, not to mention is frankly ridiculous. We need a plan, and we need it now." She said. Everyone stared at her in shock, except Rin, who chuckled blandly as she stared at the floor.

"You've been hanging out with Pie so much, Lettuce, you're starting to sound like him," She said. She lifted her head. "But you're right. We need a plan."

"I take it you have one," Zakuro said.

"That I do," Rin said, standing up. "We go to the only person in the universe who has more healing knowledge and expertise than Rirī."

"Mama?" Rōzu asked, her eyes wide. Rin nodded.

"Everyone pack a bag," Rin said. "We're going to Cynnth."

"Um, have the warrants for our arrests and subsequent deaths completely slipped your mind?" Rirī asked, getting to her feet as well.

"I know it's risky, but it's the best we can do," Rin said. "It's better than sitting here wondering which is going to kill them first: the pneumonia or the poison?"

No one could particularly argue with that point. Rin walked out of the room, calling behind her,

"We leave in an hour."

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"So what are we supposed to do when Mylo takes over the world because you're all on Cynnth?" Shinji asked. He and Masaya had met the others in front of the alien's ship to say good-bye.

"Masaya will fill you in on Plan Z," Ryou said, slinging Ichigo's duffel bag over his shoulder.

"And I've informed you I don't want to be what starts the Zombie Apocalypse!" Masaya said in an exasperated manner.

"Ah, come on, haven't you always wanted to be king of the undead?" Ryou teased.

"I don't even want to be captain of the kendo team!" Masaya exclaimed.

"Explain to me again why you all have to go to Cynnth?" Shinji asked nervously.

"It's basically a safety in numbers thing," Mint explained, kissing his cheek. "Because even though Kish, Pie and Pudding are going, there is no way they'll be in any shape to fight if they have to."

"And?" Masaya said, narrowing his eyes, glaring particularly at Ichigo.

"And what?" Ichigo asked innocently. "What's that look for?"

"And you are planning on usurping Mylo's cousin Topaz," Masaya said.

"Wait, Topaz as in crazy Topaz?" Shinji said. "As in the chick who—from what Rin, Kish and Tart say—is literally obsessed with Pie?"

"The one and only," Rōzu said sardonically.

"May I remind you that there is a more than likely chance Topaz has a bigger army on Cynnth than Mylo has on Earth?" Masaya said, exasperated.

"We're aware of that," Tart said darkly as he came down the ship's ramp. "We know we're taking risks, but we have to try."

"Besides," Keiichiro said. "We had Masha do a scan of the entire city, and Ryou and I searched Earth's atmosphere. Mylo's ship is here, but there are only a few aliens. Even at their base, there's only three of them, none of which we consider threats. We have reason to believe that Mylo has temporarily gone back to Cynnth to recruit. Hopefully, we can put a stop to it."

"What's going to happen when and if you get captured, then?" Masaya asked.

"Then we're just going to have to hope that the Mew Mew Zombies can hold off Mylo long enough for us to escape," Ryou said with a sarcastic grin. Masaya glared at him.

"Are you guys ready?" Zakuro asked, coming down the ramp. "Rin has the ship ready for take-off and she wants to take off in the next five minutes."

The others nodded and said their good-byes.

"Good luck," Shinji said.

"Thanks," Mint said.

They all knew they were going to need it.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Ichigo ran her fingers through Kish's sweat-soaked hair, trying to comfort him as he slept restlessly. He was still wheezing and now had a high fever. It was a five hour flight, thankfully, and they were about to land.

"Stay seated until I tell you," Rin's voice said from over the intercom.

Ichigo nodded vaguely, knowing Rin couldn't see it. Ichigo squeezed her eyes shut, hoping the tears there would recede. She was scared, and she wanted Kish to be better.

"Ko-Neko-Chan?" Kish muttered in his sleep.

"Shh," Ichigo said gently. "It's okay, I'm here."

Kish didn't say anything after that, just kept breathing uneasily.

Ichigo felt a gentle thump, then the hum of the ship's engine die beneath her feet. Ryou and Zakuro entered the room, already wearing thick jackets and boots.

"Let's get him wrapped up," Zakuro said, giving a reassuring smile to Ichigo.

Ichigo, Ryou and Zakuro worked together to get Kish into his jacket, then continued to bundle him up in warm clothes before finally wrapping him tightly up in a blanket.

"He's going to over-heat," Ichigo said worriedly.

"Rirī says that they need to stay warm," Ryou said as he carefully picked up Kish. "Right now, it's below freezing outside. She doesn't want them to get worse than they already are."

Ichigo nodded and followed Zakuro and Ryou out the door.

When they got out into the hall, they saw that everyone else was bundled up for the trek outdoors. Tart held Pudding—who was wrapped like a burrito—to his chest, while Keiichiro and Rin together were supporting Pie, who was too tall and broad for them to carry.

"We are currently on the edge of the property," Rin explained. "The house is a thirty minute walk from here."

"Thirty minutes!" Mint exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"It's an estimate, considering the amount of snow," Rin said. "We cannot teleport, Rirī has already discovered that there are teleportation blockers up."

"Do we even know if your parents are here?" Lettuce asked.

"Yes, I did a life-form scan on the house," Rin said. "Two adults, one infant. Matches perfectly."

"Do they know that we're coming?" Ryou asked.

"No, the communication systems on the ship are still in need of repair," Rin said. She frowned. "I feel like there's so many ways this can go wrong."

"We can't think like that," Lettuce said. "We have no other options. If we don't make it to the house…"

Lettuce closed her eyes tightly and stopped talking, but they all knew what she had been trying to say.

They either succeeded, or Kish, Pudding and Pie died.

"Then let's stop wasting time," Tart said in a low voice.

The others nodded and they headed for the landing ramp.

It was night on Cynnth. They had hoped that it would be a clear night so that they could be guided from the light of Cynnth's two moons and the stars. But, no, it was snowing, and snowing hard.

"It has never been this bad," Rirī called over the howling wind as they trudged through the deep snow, fighting against the wind as they went.

"I think there's something wrong!" Rin yelled.

"Wrong?" Ichigo asked.

"Do we need to head back?" Lettuce asked.

"No, keep going," Rin yelled. "We're almost there! I see lights from the house!"

They didn't speak after that, and silently rejoiced as they saw candles in the windows of the stone cottage.

It was all quite literally a blur as they finally approached the door. They shivered as they watched Rōzu knock on the door.

They heard nothing for a long time. They looked at each other, frightened. What did this mean? Then finally…

"Who goes there?" A deep, male voice demanded from the other side of the door.

"Papa?" Rōzu called. "Papa, please open the door."

There was silence for a second.

"Rōzu?" The man's voice said. "Rōzu, mesume, is it truly you?"

"Yes, Papa, now please let us in!" Rōzu called, tears now in her eyes, happy to hear her father's voice after many long months without him.

The door creaked open tentatively. Behind it stood a man with waist-length auburn hair with one pigtail hanging against the side of his face and bright bronze eyes. The man was just barely taller than Pie, but just as broad. His facial features were a perfect blend of Pie and Tart's.

Rōzu threw her arms around his waist and he ran his hand over her head for a minute, looking around the front stoop at the others. He regarded the humans warily, but his eyes brightened as he met those of Tart, Rirī and Rin.

Rin gave the man a small smile.

"Papa," She said. "We need help."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

The man stood in shock for a second, then he quickly shook his head and looked at the rest of the group again. His eyes widened at seeing Kish, Pie and Pudding.

"Rin, what happened?" He asked, something that had been in the hand hidden behind the door clattering to the floor. He carefully took Pie off of Rin and Keiichiro's shoulders and held the young man in his arms like he weighed no more than a small child.

"They've been poisoned," Rin explained, entering the house, gesturing for the others to follow. She nearly tripped on something, and glanced down briefly before glaring up at her father.

"Really, Papa?" Rin said as she picked up a double-ended spear that was on the floor.

"I did not know who was behind the door!" Her father said defensively. "And what is this about them being poisoned?"

"Where's Mama?" Rirī said. "We don't need to explain this more than once."

"Curry." A woman's voice called down from upstairs. "Who is it?"

"Risa, come down, it is safe," Curry responded.

A petite woman with a braid of indigo curls as long as Rin's with two chin-length curls hanging beside her face came down the stairs. It was quite obvious that she was Rin, Rirī and Rōzu's mother as she looked exactly like them. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, and wore a gray dress with long sleeves and she wore black ankle-high boots. Her indigo eyes widened as she saw her two oldest sons, both unconscious, and the little girl that her youngest son held in his arms.

"Bring them to the healing room, now," She said without preamble, turning sharply on her heel and leading them through a door beside the stairwell. Her husband, Rin, Rirī, Ryou and Tart quickly followed her, the others trailing behind.

Risa ordered each patient to be laid down on one of the five cots in the round room. She laid her hand on Pudding's forehead.

"Rirī-San," She said immediately.

"Hai, Sensei," Rirī said, knowing that she was again her mother's student.

"Tell me what has happened to them," Risa ordered.

Rirī quickly explained the events of the previous months to her mother, who listened intently. Risa's scowl continued to deepen as Rirī went on. When she was finished, she turned to Curry.

"Go find Rishi-Sobo," She said. "Rirī and I will need her assistance. You will need to temporarily take down the shields, there's no need for her to be out in the elements longer than necessary."

Curry nodded and quickly left the room as Risa turned to the others, who quickly realized that she was the one whom Pie, Rin and Rirī had learned to dish out orders from.

"Rin, get out a pot and boil some water, you will find the pitcher in the icebox," Risa said. Rin nodded and ran out of the room. "Taruto, go bring in more firewood from the back porch. Rōzu, get out the spare sleeping mats for your friends and set them up in your room, then bring some more blankets down here."

Rōzu and Tart both quickly nodded and ran out the door. Risa paused as she heard a baby cry. She sighed and turned to the human girls.

"I do hate to ask this, as we have only just met, but could one of you tend to Asagao? She is in the first room on the left on the second floor." Risa said.

Zakuro and Mint nodded and they went to get the baby together.

"We'll go help Tart bring in firewood," Keiichiro said, indicating to himself and Ryou.

"That would be greatly appreciated," Risa said with a nod. The two men left the room, leaving Ichigo, Lettuce and Rirī.

"Rirī, bring over my box of supplies, we are going to need it," She said sadly, looking down at her three patients. "Mew Ichigo, Mew Lettuce, I will need your help as well."

"How do you know our names?" Lettuce asked with a gasp. Risa smiled softly.

"I have heard a great deal about you girls from my sons," She said, her indigo eyes twinkling. "You two and Mew Pudding especially."

Lettuce and Ichigo smiled, blushing some. Risa's frown lowered some as she looked back at Pie, Kish and Pudding.

"Though I must admit this was not how I imagined our first meeting would come to be," Risa said. She sighed and shook her head. "Come here, girls."

"What would you like us to do, Ikisatashi-San?" Ichigo asked.

"First, do not call me 'San' unless it is preceded by 'Risa' or 'Oba'," Risa said with a smile. "You and your fellow Mews are family in my mind and heart, and those of my husband, and therefore you do not need to use formalities."

"Hai, Risa Oba-San," Ichigo and Lettuce said together, smiling.

Lettuce and Ichigo helped Risa put cool cloths onto Pie, Kish and Pudding's foreheads, hoping to soothe the fever.

"Have you ever seen something like this before?" Ichigo asked Risa, glancing up briefly from Kish's flushed face.

"Not to this extent," Risa said. "Typically, the antidote would be administered. But as we are unaware of what the antidote is, we will have to look towards other means of treatment."

Rōzu came back into the room as Risa began trying to light a fire with a flint stone. The little girl smiled coyly.

"Let me, Mama," Rōzu said, kneeling beside her mother. Risa was about to hand her the stone then saw that her daughter's hand was on fire, the skin unharmed. Rōzu put her flaming hand into the fire-pit and lit the longs, then looked up at her mother proudly.

"Fire," Risa whispered, smiling as she blinked back tears, hugging her daughter. "Of course your power would involve fire. You always were a little fireball in Cyniclon form."

Rōzu just beamed.

Just then, Rirī reentered the room, carrying a wooden box much larger than the one she owned, followed by Rin, who brought in a steaming pot of hot water. Shortly after, they heard the front door open.

"Risa?" Curry called.

"In here," Risa called back as she ruffled through her box.

They heard the sound of wood-on-stone and the door creaked open. A tiny, withered Cyniclon woman entered, followed by Curry. She wore a gray dress like Risa's and a black hooded cape and she leaned on a gnarled wooden cane.

"Poison unidentifiable?" The woman asked in a croaking voice as she removed her hood. She had long gray hair that was in a single braid with two parts of her hair hanging beside her cheeks, going to her waist. She had brilliant blue eyes, but they were unfocused and foggy, staring straight ahead of her. Lettuce and Ichigo realized that the woman was blind.

"Yes," Risa said. "Three patients, same poison and symptoms, different exposure time."

The old woman nodded.

"I will be in need of Taruto's services," She said. "As I am afraid we are in a shortage of Sunblossom leaves."

"Yes, of course," Risa said. "He is moving firewood out back."

"I will fetch him," The woman said. "Ichigo, child, please accompany an old woman, will you?"

Ichigo looked surprised that the woman not only knew her name, but knew she was there. Despite the strangeness of the situation, Ichigo went.

"Forgive me, I know your name, but you do not know mine," The woman said as she hobbled through the hall, Ichigo at her side. Ichigo marveled at the fact that the blind woman knew her way around, though it occurred to her that she probably had been to the house enough times to have memorized the floor-plan. "You may call me Rishi-Sobo."

"Are you my friends' grandmother?" Ichigo asked.

Rishi-Sobo chuckled.

"No, no, I am afraid I am not. Though I love them as if I _were_ their grandmother. I trained Risa and Lila in the ways of Healing Arts many years ago, though it feels like just yesterday," She paused. "I have been called Sobo for many generations, centuries before you or your friends were born."

"If you do not mind my asking, how long do Cyniclons usually live?" Ichigo asked.

"Our life spans are normally the same as humans," Rishi-Sobo said.

"Then, how-?" Ichigo started, her eyes wide as she fumbled for a way to phrase her question. If Rishi-Sobo was as old as she said she was, shouldn't she be dead?

Rishi-Sobo chuckled again and smiled up at Ichigo.

"I never said I was normal," She said mysteriously. She stopped walking and Ichigo stopped as well. "Ichigo, child, are we alone?"

"Yes," Ichigo said, confused. "The others are either upstairs, in the healing room or outside."

Rishi-Sobo smiled wryly.

"Good," Rishi-Sobo said. She grabbed Ichigo's wrist and the teenager felt the pull of being teleported.

Ichigo was surprised to find herself in the middle of a snow-covered forest, the wind howling around her. Ichigo shivered, having had taken off her winter gear and boots in the warm house and not expecting to leave any time after that.

"Rishi-Sobo, where have you brought me?" Ichigo asked, rubbing her arms for warmth, her socked feet sinking in the snow.

"To a place where no one can overhear us," Rishi-Sobo said. Her thin hand reached out from under the cloak to grab Ichigo's wrist, startling the teen.

"I need you to promise me something, Ichigo," Rishi-Sobo said as her blind blue eyes stared past Ichigo's eyes, into her heart and soul. "Promise me that after the Summer Solstice, you will bring your team—_all_ of your team—to see me here on Cynnth. There are things we need to discuss, but they can only be discussed at that point in time."

"Why did you bring me out here to tell me this?" Ichigo demanded. "Why couldn't you have told me back at the Ikisatashi's?"

Rishi-Sobo glared.

"Promise me!" She demanded, shaking Ichigo's arm.

"I promise you," Ichigo said, slightly scared by the eccentric and cryptic old woman.

"Promise me what?" Rishi-Sobo pressed.

"I promise that I will bring my team to see you on Cynnth after the Summer Solstice," Ichigo reiterated. Rishi-Sobo's shoulders relaxed.

"Thank you," She whispered. "Do not mention this conversation to anyone until that day comes."

"Yes, ma'am," Ichigo said, nodding her head vigorously.

Rishi-Sobo smiled and she bowed her head in gratitude.

The air around them shimmered and when Ichigo blinked, she found that they were back in the hallway of the Ikisatashis' home, where they had been only a moment before.

Tart turned the corner of the hall just as Ichigo and Rishi-Sobo were on their feet again.

"Mama said you were looking for me, Rishi-Sobo," Tart said, approaching the two.

"Ah, yes, I was, Taruto," Rishi-Sobo said with a smile. "Thank you, Ichigo, for accompanying me. You may head back now, I believe Risa is still in need of your assistance."

Tart gently took the old woman by the arm and led her down the hall, leaving Ichigo, cold, wet, and more confused than she had ever been before.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Tart paced back and forth anxiously, his hands clasped behind his back. He sighed and plopped down on the floor beside Rōzu. He sat there for a few seconds before floating in the air and flying back and forth slowly, now pacing while levitating.

Zakuro glanced up from the face of the sleeping baby Rin held in her arms, pausing briefly in running her fingers over Asagao's soft indigo curls.

"He looks like an anxious new father-to-be," She muttered to Ryou and Rin, sitting on either side of her.

"Ichigo and Lettuce aren't much better," Ryou whispered back. Ichigo was nervously tapping her foot and drumming her fingertips on her arm while Lettuce was clearly restless, puttering about the spacious living area of the house, putting things away, poking the fire, unbraiding then re-braiding her hair.

"Still, I would have thought we'd have heard something by now," Rin said, wrapping the blanket around Asagao tighter.

"What exactly are they doing to heal them, do you know?" Keiichiro asked as he came to sit beside Rin.

"Yes, Mama explained the process to me and Rirī while Tart was growing the Sunblossoms Rishi-Sobo needed. They'll be using a variety of mixtures to purify the bloodstream, which will kill off the poison," Rin explained, staring down at her baby sister's face. "The primary one is injected into the scar tissue from the original wound, where the poison would be most likely to gather. Occasionally, they would have to reopen the wound if it was there for over six months. Fortunately I don't think that will have to happen, though they may have to so with Kish as he has no scarring from his encounter with the poison. Then the rest are just potions to drink and slaves to put over the wound to kill the poison in other places other than the bloodstream."

"Then they'll be awake soon?" Lettuce asked, her fingers pausing in mid-braid.

Rin shook her head.

"The mixture that is injected works better if the body is still," She said. "Also, the first hour of having it in your system is painful. With their bodies weak from the pneumonia, it could take longer. It's better that they stay asleep."

"And Mama and Rishi-Sobo have made sure that they stay asleep well into tomorrow, so that they can rest, heal and begin regaining their strength," Rirī said as she and her father came out of Risa's healing room.

"So now we just sit around and wait?" Ichigo asked, standing up.

"Actually, there is someone I would like you to visit while you wait," Curry said, grabbing the preoccupied Tart by the shirt collar, shaking him out of his reverie with confusion.

Curry chuckled at his son's reaction, then went into a closet and pulled out several black hooded cloaks.

"Put these on in addition to your winter clothing," The tall Cyniclon said, passing them out, then taking his infant daughter from his eldest daughter. He looked his youngest son directly in the eyes. "Do you remember the waterfall we went to last summer?"

"Yeah, the one with the cavern behind it," Tart said, fastening his cloak around his neck. "We set up our camp there. Why?"

"Go there," Curry said. "The leader of the rebels wishes to speak with you and your brothers. I promised him that if you or any of your siblings returned, I would send you to him."

"Who is the leader?" Rōzu asked, pulling the hood over her head.

Curry's bronze eyes twinkled.

"You shall see," He said knowingly. "Now, go, while it is still dark out. I will temporarily lower the teleportation hinderers. Do not worry about the others. When you return, they will be well on their way to regaining their full strength."

Tart nodded, though he looked past his father to the room where his brothers and girlfriend lay being tended to by his mother and adopted grandmother.

Tart, Rirī, Rōzu and Rin each took the hand of a human and they teleported. They were on a snow covered cliff, a waterfall raining down in an icy stream.

"This way," Rin said, leading the others up the path.

They carefully went past a small crevice between the waterfall and the cliff. Inside the cave were several torches and fires surrounded by laughing and chatting Cyniclons, their ages spanning from younger than Rōzu to those with white hair, wrinkles and droopy ears. However, they all stopped when they saw the group, a few grabbing the weapons that lay at their side. Tart instantly pulled back his hood. A few people gasped.

The children, teens and adults jumped to their feet and bowed low while many of the wizened ones simply stared in awe.

"I was told your leader wished to speak with me," Tart said in a crisp, professional tone. The six humans looked at each other in shock. They had never heard Tart speak like this.

A fourteen-year-old girl with plaited dark blue curly hair and dark blue eyes stepped forward.

"I can take you to him, General Ikisatashi Taruto-San," She said with a bow.

_General?_ Ichigo, Mint, Lettuce, Zakuro, Ryou and Keiichiro thought, their faces reflecting the surprise they felt.

"Since when is Tart a General?" Mint asked in a whisper as they were led down a hall. The people they passed all bowed low when they saw Tart.

"He, Pie and Kish were promoted to General following their return," Rin whispered in response. "Have you ever wondered why they have longer pennants than Rirī and I?"

"Pennants?" Keiichiro repeated, his brow furrowed.

"The strips of fabric that hangs out from the back of our clothes," Rirī explained. "They symbolize rank in the military. The longer they are, the higher-up you are. Kish's are the longest, though he wears them so that they don't look it."

"Wait, if Kish's are the longest, that means-" Ichigo started to say.

"That up till recently, Kish was completely in charge of our military," Tart said, not looking back.

The six humans walked in stunned silence down the torch-lit stone halls.

Finally, their guide led them to an area sectioned off with thick red curtains. The girl rang a bell that hung outside.

"Enter." Came the response. The girl pushed aside the curtain, admitting entrance.

"General Ikisatashi Taruto-San, Major Ikisatashi Rindou-San, Sergeant Ikisatashi Rirī-San," The young solider looked at Rōzu and the humans before adding, "And guests."

The stone room was covered with cushions with a long table taking up most of the space. Candles, paper and ink were everywhere. A few men and women sat around the table, but a Cyniclon man sat at the head of the table, higher than the rest, his face hidden in the shadows.

"Thank you, Chun Mee. That will be all," He said. The girl bowed and quickly left the 'room'. When she was gone, the man climbed to his feet, throwing his features into the light.

The man was anywhere between sixty and eighty with wizened white hair pulled into a low ponytail that hung past his waist and two short pigtails framing his face wrapped with dyed green leather strips, round glasses framing warm blue eyes and was dressed in a long green robe. He smiled as he saw Tart, Rin, Rirī and Rōzu. Their eyes widened.

"Chai-Sofu Sensei?" Rin whispered, smiling as her eyes brightened.

"Hello, my mago," The man said, spreading his arms. "Come give your old Sofu a hug."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello peoples! So far, I've survived one test and I take another tomorrow. And I've been working on this some. I've got a lot of really long chapters written that I think everyone's going to love.**

Chapter Three:

"Chai-Sofu Sensei," Rirī said, stepping forward first to hug the older Cyniclon. "You're the leader of the rebellion?"

"I had to do something with my time," Chai said, patting Rirī's hair lovingly. "I am aware that your healing skills are always a given here, but have you been keeping up with your martial arts?"

"As always," Rirī said proudly.

"Does Pie still pester you about continuing your training with me?" Chai asked, an eyebrow raised, but his smile unwavering.

"You know my brother," Rirī said with a laugh.

"That I do. And as I know you, I know it is unnecessary to tell you to ignore him," Chai said with a chuckle. Rin then came up to hug the man as well. "Ah, Rin-Mago, I miss our chats over a hot cup of tea. It has been too long since I have seen your beautiful paintings."

"I miss our chats, too," Rin said with a sad smile. "And how is Gama-Sobo?"

"She is fine. She is our head chef at our base. She is in bliss, making sure everyone gets second and third helpings," Chai said with a chuckle. "She will probably come in soon, once she learns that her beloved mago have arrived."

Rin smiled and stepped to the side. Chai smiled at Rōzu, who hugged him. Chai tenderly stroked one of Rozū's pigtails.

"Rōzu, I quit teaching at the academy the second I learned that your presence would not be amongst my students at the Academy. And at the moment I am glad for that, because I do not want your beautiful mind to be scarred by Mylo's teachings. But know that as soon as this fiasco is over, you are the first on the list of acceptances," He leaned down and whispered. "And I also slipped the admissions workers your test scores and time records. There may have been some discussion of putting you a year or two ahead." He winked at her slyly.

Rōzu beamed.

"Arigato, Chai-Sofu," Rōzu said, squeezing the older man again.

After Rōzu let go, Chai looked at Tart.

"Well, now I am not sure if I am to be expecting a hug or a hand-shake. One can never tell with fourteen year old boys, especially ones that just marched into a war council bearing the rank of General," Chai said. The corner of Tart's mouth lifted.

"You will always get a hug, Chai-Sofu Sensei," Tart said, hugging Chai. "Kisshu and Pie would have come, but I am afraid they are ill at the moment, along with Mew Pudding, one of our teammates on Earth."

"Ah, yes, Curry sent me a message saying as much, and that your mother is working hard to cure them. They will be fine," Chai said with a reassuring smile. "Your mother is the best of the best healers on Cynnth. She will not let her children or one of the friends of her children die." Chai's eyes twinkled. "And especially not one she believes will become her daughter-in-law in the future."

Tart turned scarlet briefly, but regained his composure.

"Now, before we get to business, would you please introduce me to your friends?" Chai said.

The humans were introduced and each bowed in respect for Chai, and in turn the rest of the war council was introduced to the Mews, Ikisatashi siblings, Ryou and Keiichiro.

"Chai-Sofu Sensei was our martial arts instructor at the Academy," Tart explained, taking a seat beside Chai, who motioned for Ichigo to take the seat on his other side. "He and his wife, Gama, are our adopted grandparents."

"It would be a shame to not be called so," Chai said from where he sat on his cushions. "As Curry and Alec were like the sons I never had." He ducked his head, his eyes filled with guilt. "Sons I wish I could have protected better."

Rin reached out to put her hand on his hand.

"Sofu-Chai, Alec Oji-San's death was not your fault," Rin said softly. Chai smiled and squeezed her hand.

"I know, that is what they keep telling me," Chai said. "But at the moment, it does us no good to dwell on the past. How goes the war on Earth?"

"There are good days, there are bad days," Tart said. "Unfortunately, Pie has unwilling aided Mylo."

"Oh?" Chai asked, shocked.

Tart then proceeded to explain about the Chimera Animals Pie had been developing and how Mylo had stolen the experiments.

"That is distressing news," Chai said. "We were hoping that as few humans as possible would be harmed in Mylo's campaign. Have you found a weakness for these parasites?"

"We found a way to extract the parasite from the human host," Rin said.

"That is very good news," Chai said. "I presume it is effective?"

"Yes, very much so," Tart said. He then explained the process that they used, then Rōzu proudly told her adopted grandfather what her method was. Chai smiled and chuckled.

"Fire," He said. "Why am I not surprised to learn that is your power, little one?"

Rōzu just beamed.

One of the members of the council groaned.

"Great. An Ikisatashi with powers of mass destruction," He said sarcastically. "Just what we need."

"Exactly our thoughts, Shiso-Sensei. And we're going to need every ounce of firepower Rōzu can produce," Tart said. He grinned as Rōzu's face became one of pure pride before turning back to Chai. "So, how's everything going here?"

"We're being ruled over by Topaz Yuuka, what do you think?"

They turned to see a tall teenage boy short, spiky neon-green hair with two pigtails hanging down the side of his face enter. He had sky blue eyes and a grin that screamed 'TROUBLE!'. He wore a shirt like Kish's, but the under-layer was cream-colored and the top layer was green. He also wore a pair of green pants with white boots.

"Yuzu, you cannot just barge in!"

A girl with long, wavy white hair and pale brown eyes enter the room after the boy. She wore a top like Rin's that showed her stomach, but hers was all white. She also wore a long white skirt and white boots with a slight heel to them.

"Hello, Yuzu. Hello, Vanilla," Rin said, smiling.

"Hey, Rin," The boy—Yuzu—said as he came to plop down beside her. "'Sup?"

"Last time I checked, the moons," Rin said, giving the boy a one-armed hug. He responded with kissing her cheek. Rin promptly shoved him off so that he fell over backwards.

"Aw, come on, I've been missing that beautiful face of yours, and the first chance I get to show it my affection, you shove me off? I am hurt, Rindou. I am very much hurt," Yuzu said dramatically as he picked himself up off the floor.

"You're going to hurt a whole lot more if you do that again," Keiichiro said with a pleasant smile on his face. Yuzu stared at the human man for a second in confusion.

"Whoa," Yuzu said with awe. "Who let the humans in?"

"Yuzu, be polite!" Vanilla hissed.

"Yuzu, Vanilla, meet our teammates: Momomiya Ichigo, Midorikawa Lettuce, Fujiwara Zakuro, Aizawa Mint, Shirogane Ryou, and my boyfriend, Akasaka Keiichiro," Rin said. "Guys, meet Yuzu and Vanilla. They, Pie and I have been in the same classes together since we were kids and have been best friends ever since."

"Though why we are friends with Yuzu, I will never know," Vanilla mumbled.

Yuzu stuck his tongue out at her.

"So, may I ask why you are crashing the war council meeting?" An annoyed man with long, teal-colored hair said at the end of the table. "Without announcing yourselves?"

"Heard rumors that the awesome and almighty Ikisatashi trouble-making demons had arrived, and wanted to see 'em, just like everyone else," Yuzu said with a cocky grin. Then he looked around and frowned. "But, aren't we missing the brooder and the boss-man?"

"Long story," Rirī said with a sigh.

"They are not dead, are they?" Vanilla asked with wide eyes.

"No, they're fine," Rin said. "Or, at least, they will be. They're sick at the moment, along with Fong Pudding—another of our team members—but they'll all be fine in a few days."

Vanilla and Yuzu nodded.

"So, are things really that bad under Topaz?" Tart asked, wanting to return to the subject at hand.

"You've met her," Yuzu said, leaning back on his hands. "Chick's a head-case."

"Where is she ruling from?" Rin asked.

"Heart of Iriomote City, where else?" Yuzu said with a scowl.

"Wait," Ichigo said, clearly surprised. "Iriomote City?"

"Yep," Yuzu said. "Capital City of Cynnth."

When Ichigo still looked shocked, Tart shifted awkwardly and said,

"When new cities were being built, Pie, Kish and I were asked to name them. We thought it was only fair to name them after you girls, since we wouldn't have had the Mew Aqua without you and decided to use the names of the animals you were fused with. So, Kish insisted that capital be named Iriomote—"

Ichigo smiled shyly, her cheeks red.

"Finless Porpoise Bay is the largest city by the ocean, known for fishing and studying marine animals," Rirī said. She smiled. "Pie named that one."

Lettuce blushed.

"There's a large village on Gray Wolf Mountain, which has tons of amethyst gemstones and this big huge waterfall," Rozū added.

"On the other side of the mountain is Lorikeet Forest, which is over two hundred acres and has over a thousand new species of birds, animals and plants," Rin said almost wistfully. She had spent a lot of time in that particular forest when she was still cataloguing the new species for the government.

The Mews looked both awed and surprised to learn that all these places were named after their animals.

"But, of course, we're forgetting one. The wild, unpredictable Tamarin Jungle," Yuzu added. He grinned and said, "It's home to a particular species of monkey that Tart here named 'Pudding'."

Tart turned scarlet as everyone else grinned.

"Well, the real Pudding is going to be really happy to learn that," Zakuro said.

"Well, they do look like the monkey she's infused with, and act like her, so…" Tart rambled on, turning redder and redder as his friends and the other members of the war council started to laugh at him. He snapped his mouth shut and fumed silently.

Seeing a need to rescue Tart, Vanilla spoke up.

"We have other problems than Topaz ruling from the capital. She also has Jalapeno as head of their military and Cayenne in charge of the Academy," Vanilla said with a frown. The Ikisatashi siblings frowned as well.

"Please tell me we can get a chance in to get in a few good swipes at them before we leave?" Rin begged.

"We shall see, Rin," Chai said, placating his surrogate granddaughter.

"Who are Cayenne and Jalapeno?" Lettuce asked.

"Chile's older brothers," Tart said with a sneer. "Cayenne is Pie and Rin's age, and Jalapeno was in Mylo's year."

"They've been following Mylo around since the beginning. Mama and I use drawings of them for target practice with our arrows," Rirī said. She paused, her eyes hard before she continued. "They're the ones that held Kish down when Mylo made the cuts on his arms."

Ichigo turned red with fury.

"I wanna Ribbon Strawberry Check these guys," She said in a growl.

"Hey, just tell me when you're going to do it so I can watch," Yuzu said. "Those two are jerks and I'd just love to see them get whooped by a little human girl."

"At least none of you guys had to deal with Bell and Pepper," Rōzu said, crossing her arms. "I hate those girls, and yet every stinkin' year we were in the same stupid class together. They used to put gunk in my braids and tease me because I didn't have my power yet." She grinned wickedly. "Ha, I can't wait to see their reaction when I set them on fire…"

"Bell and Pepper are ruling the Academy alongside Cayenne," Vanilla said sadly. "Lots of kids want to leave, because they don't want to fight for Mylo. Most have gotten pulled out, but a lot are orphans and have no one to vouch for them. Bell and Pepper are Cayenne's personal spies and if one gets caught trying to run away, they get punished."

"Topaz has her own spies as well," Chai said. He lowered his voice. "Fortunately, we don't have to worry about them here, as I interview every single person who enters this establishment."

"How does that help?" Mint asked.

"My power is being able to find truth in falsehoods," Chai explained. "Which means that the double-agents we have can indeed be trusted." He frowned and leaned forward, his eyes serious. "That is how I know that you either came at either the perfect moment, or the worst."

"What do you mean by that?" Zakuro asked with a frown.

"Mylo is planning something, something big," Chai said. "He arrived last night. We expected a big show from him. But there was none. The only one who knew he was coming was Topaz. Several days ago, she left for the day. No one knows where she went, but we suspect she went to meet with Mylo on Earth. The only reason we know that he and his army have returned is because of our spy, who acts as a lady-in-waiting for Topaz. He hasn't shown his face yet and continues to let Topaz rule as usual. He is hiding, waiting for something to happen."

"Like what?" Ryou asked.

"That is what we are wondering," Chai said with a sigh. "I assume you have noticed the snowstorm?"

"It's kind of hard to miss," Ichigo said.

"Since the Mew Aqua has been used to heal the planet, we have not had a snow like this," Chai said. "Cynnth used to be just one large snow storm. This storm has been going on for nearly a week now. We fear that the Mew Aqua may be failing."

"It shouldn't be," Keiichiro said. "However, there may be something affecting it then."

"Hey, it didn't really pick up until Mylo got here, right?" Yuzu said suddenly. "You think he may have something to do with it?"

"Perhaps," Chai mused. He paused. "There was something odd, something that Mylo said to Topaz that our spy did not understand. Perhaps you can make sense of it where we cannot."

"What is it?" Tart asked, his brow furrowed.

"He said, 'I have found the ultimate weapon to defeat the Tokyo Defenders. They had it all along, and now it will be stolen right out from under their noses and be their undoing.' Do you know what he is referring to?"

The assembled Tokyo Defenders, Keiichiro and Ryou looked at each other in shock.

What had Mylo found?

And could it be what was making the Mew Aqua stop working?

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Mylo watched as the young woman with her dark pink hair in a bun left the room.

"She is the spy," He observed to Topaz as he cut the meat on the plate before him.

"Hmm, Paprika?" Topaz said as she took a sip of her wine. "Yes, that's her. She thinks I do not know, but I've known for a month now. Remember, I called you to ask you what to do? I've let her tell her leader what she has learned, just as you told me to. However, she shall soon have an unexpected and tragic accident, one that renders her incapable of, well, anything." She sighed. "Too bad, though. She's the only one of my maids to have good fashion sense when it comes to picking out my clothes in the morning."

Mylo nodded, his attention now on the nervous curly-haired maid who had entered, clutching a bottle of wine. He studied her closely. She was about twenty years old and she would only came up to mid-chest standing next to him. Her hair was a dark purple and didn't quite reach her waist, her eyes a pale purple. Her features were softer, the eyebrows not quite arched, the eyelashes not as long. Her curves were not as defined, her limbs thinner and it was clear she was not a fighter.

Though she looked much like Rin, she wasn't.

But she was close enough.

Mylo called the girl over to refill his wine glass.

"Thank you, dear girl," Mylo said pleasantly. "Pray tell, what is your name?"

"Me-Meron, sir," The girl said shakily, her cheeks turning red.

"Meron. That is a name I shall remember well," Mylo said. He smiled at her flirtatiously. "Of course, that pretty face won't be leaving anytime soon either."

"Th-thank you, sir," Meron said, bowing, blushing as she smiled shyly.

"You are dismissed," Mylo said. Meron bowed again and left the room.

Topaz looked over the rim of her glass disapprovingly.

"Mylo-Chan, if you plan on flirting with my servants, may I ask that you not do it while I am eating?" She asked, clearly disgusted.

"Forgive me, Topaz-Chan," Mylo said, picking up his chopsticks. "But it has been far, far too long since I have been in the company of a woman."

"And by that, you mean a woman that comes to you with doe eyes, ready to do your bidding so that you will whisper sweet nothings in their ears, right?" Topaz said, raising an eyebrow.

"Exactly," Mylo said before placing a piece of meat in his mouth. Topaz chuckled.

"And yet the one you love refuses to do so," She said as she grabbed her own chopsticks. "I do wonder some days how she captured your heart."

Mylo smiled sadly at his plate.

"So do I," He muttered.

* * *

**Don't worry. Meron's safe from Mylo. He's just being flirty. And, yes, all the other girls he has flirted with bear some resemblence to Rin. Yes, it's sad. Yes, he needs help. O.O**


	4. Chapter 4

******So, I've had a seriously rough day and am now sort of depressed. Reviews make me happy. So please review.**

**This one is a cute kinda-filler, with a cliffie at the end for good measure. *evil grin* Yes, me and my cliffies...**

Chapter Four:

Kish moaned softly, his brain telling him to open his eyes and his body not wanting to comply. It was just so nice and comfy and warm…

He felt a warm hand gently brush his hair, then the hand go over his ear. He sighed happily, smiling like an idiot as he enjoyed the soft caress of the unknown hand.

He heard a kind laugh coming from beside him.

"You like that, huh? Does it feel good?"

"Mmm hmm," Kish mumbled, nodding his head slightly, but found that hard to do for some reason. His brow furrowed. There was something against his face, something soft. A pillow? Was he lying on his side?

Kish opened his eyes and saw someone kneeling beside him. Even though she was sideways in Kish's view, he saw that she was very pretty, with red hair that went past her shoulders and kind, twinkling maroon eyes and a sweet smile. Surely, no human or Cyniclon could ever look this beautiful. No, she had to be something else. An angel perhaps?

"So, I guess I'm dead, huh?" He muttered. The angel's brow furrowed. Stars, she even looked gorgeous as she frowned.

"No, Kish, you're not dead," She said. Even her voice was beautiful.

"But I've got to be," Kish insisted. "'Cause you're an angel, right? No one else could be this pretty without being an angel."

The angel laughed a melodious laugh and leaned down and kissed Kish's cheek.

"Still dreaming, huh?" She said, lying down beside him on the floor, their noses touching. She ran her fingers through his hair again, her eyes twinkling. "No, I'm not an angel. Just a Koneko-Chan."

Kish felt his eyes go wide.

"ICHIGO?!" He exclaimed. Ichigo laughed.

"Yes, Kisshu, you adorable baka, it's me," She said.

"I, um, uh, I guess I…" Kish stuttered as he turned red. Ichigo just kissed his cheek again and wrapped her arms around him. She just held him to her for a moment before Kish realized that she was crying into his shoulder.

"Why the tears, kitten?' Kish asked, rubbing her back.

"Because I'm so happy you're awake," She said. "You've been out for three days now."

"Three days?!" Kish repeated, trying to bolt upright and regretting it once the room began to spin before he even got to fully sit up. Ichigo caught him and steadied him.

"Calm down, we don't need you having a relapse," Ichigo said as she got him to lay on his side again, covering him with the blanket.

"What happened? What's going on?" Kish blinked and looked around the room. "And where are we?"

"Really, Kisshu, I did not think you were gone from home that long that you cannot even recognize your own bedroom."

Ichigo moved so that Kish could see Risa enter the room, a basket of linens on one hip and Asagao on the other, the little girl playing with her mother's curls and babbling away in baby talk. Kish looked around him and realized that he was in his own home, in the room he shared with Pie and Tart, and laying on his own sleep-mat. He smiled. He had been from home far too long…

"Hello, Risa Oba-San," Kish said, grinning up at her.

"How are you boys feeling?" Risa asked as she placed the basket on the floor, getting a better hold on Asagao.

Kish's brow furrowed but then turned his head to see that Pie was sitting up on his own sleep-mat, his back against the wall, Lettuce sitting beside him, her hand in his. Both were still silently sniggering over Ichigo's mistaken identity for an angel. Kish turned red upon this realization.

"I am feeling much better," Pie told his mother, who smiled and nodded before turning to Kish for his answer.

"I'm confused," Kish answered honestly. "What's going on? Why are we on Cynnth?"

Ichigo and Lettuce told the entire story to Kish, who nodded.

"Okay, I think I'm caught up," Kish said, rolling over onto his back to get comfortable.

And instantly regretted it.

With a yelp of pain, Kish quickly rolled over onto his stomach, his lower back sending waves of agony throughout his entire body.

"Ow," He muttered into his pillow, his eyes watering as Ichigo gently rubbed the back of his neck.

Risa set Asagao onto the floor and the little girl instantly started crawling over to Pie and Lettuce. Risa came over and knelt down beside Kish, gently placing her fingers on the center of Kish's discomfort and he hissed.

"I apologize, Kisshu, I thought that the pain reducers were still working and did not think to warn you," Risa said, tenderly rubbing her adopted son's back, just above where the bandages that encircled his waist were. "Rirī, Sobo-Rishi and I had to make an incision on your back where Mylo's knife had been, as there was no scar tissue for the medication to be applied to. It had to be done so that we could get to where the poison had built up."

"Thanks a lot," Kish grumbled.

"I am sorry, baby," Risa crooned sympathetically as she kissed Kish's head, her eyes full of sadness and guilt for what she had to do. "But at least this pain means that you are alive."

Kish felt guilty and smiled apologetically up at his adopted mother.

"Gomen-nasai, Risa Oba-San," He said. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know you did not," Risa said with a small smile. She patted Kish's leg then stood up. "Do not worry, your wound will heal quickly, I promise."

"Risa Oba-San, how is Pudding?" Lettuce asked as Asagao, who was 'standing' on Pie's lap, reached up and gave a hard tug on her brother's pigtail in an attempt to keep her balance, causing Pie to wince. Asagao laughed at the face Pie made at having his hair pulled and continued to jerk on the pigtail.

"Still sleeping," Risa said, quickly coming over to rescue Pie's hair from Asagao's fingers. "Her body is much smaller than Pie's or Kisshu's is, so it shall take longer for her body to metabolize the herbs she has been given. I estimate that in the next hour or so, she will awaken."

"Tart will happy to hear that," Rin said as she, Rirī, Mint, Zakuro, Keiichiro and Ryou walked into the room, Rozū floating in behind them.

"Yes, he will," Risa said with a smile as Asagao began to fuss on her hip and grabbed at the front of her dress. Risa chuckled and tickled Asagao under her chin, which temporarily stopped her crying. "Asagao is reminding me that it is time for her lunch. I will be back soon, after she has had her fill. Pie, Kisshu, when I return, I will have some potions for you to drink."

They said their good-byes as Risa and Asagao left the room just as Rin, Rirī, Rōzu, Zakuro, Mint, Ryou and Keiichiro entered.

"Kish, Pie, guess what!" Rōzu said as she folded her legs to float in midair.

"What, Rosie?" Kish asked as he got comfortable, lying half on his side, half on the good part of his back, glad that Risa, Rirī and Sobo-Rishi didn't feel like they needed to redo the large asterisk-shaped mark that Mylo had oh-so-lovingly carved into him a few months prior.

"Chai-Sofu is the leader of the rebels!" Rōzu exclaimed with a grin.

"He is? That is wonderful news," Pie said.

"Yeah, but we've got a few problems," Rin said as she sat at her twin's feet, smoothening the blankets.

"What's wrong?" Kish asked.

"Mylo's here, too, and most of his fighters," Ryou said. "And he's got something big planned."

"He hasn't shown himself to anyone other than Topaz, and the staff at her house," Ichigo said grimly.

Kish and Pie frowned.

"That is not a good sign," Pie said grimly. "Is there any indication of what he could be after here?"

"It couldn't be us he's after, could it?" Lettuce asked worriedly.

"No, he got here long before we could," Keiichiro said.

"I'm more worried about this 'ultimate weapon' he's boasting about that we have apparently had all along," Zakuro said. "What are we missing?"

"We can worry about it later," Rirī said. "Right now, we all need to rest and recover.

"Rirī is correct."

They turned to see Curry enter the room, carrying a tray with two steaming bowls.

"You should all relax while you can. A war like this saps your strength. While the enemy rests, so should you," Curry said as he placed one bowl of broth beside Pie and the other bowl beside Kish, accompanied by spoons and glasses of water.

Curry explained that Risa had said that the medicines would work better on a full stomach, but they still couldn't have anything too heavy yet and that the broth would be light enough for their stomachs until they were stronger. Neither boy cared and was just glad to have some food, as they were both starving, and quickly started to eat.

"Slow down, or you're going to be sick regardless of how heavy or not the food is," Ichigo chastised Kish, who slowed down.

"Sorry, Koneko-Chan," Kish said sheepishly. Ichigo chuckled and ruffled his hair.

The others filled Kish and Pie in on everything they had missed while they were sleeping.

"Oh, by the way, Vanilla and Yuzu say 'hi'," Rin said. "They want to know if they can visit sometime."

"Vanilla is a definite yes, Yuzu…" Pie said. He sighed. "Yuzu is Yuzu."

"What's Yuzu's deal?" Mint asked. "I mean, is he always that, uh…"

"Weird? Yeah," Rin said. She chuckled and shook her head. "Yuzu doesn't have a filter on his mouth. It comes into his head and next thing we know it's out of his mouth."

"He also does not think before he acts," Pie said. "This often gets him in trouble. Especially around girls. More than once have I had to stop the fights he starts by impulsively kissing girls who happen to have jealous and extremely protective boyfriends."

Rin laughed.

"Yeah, well you know full well _who_ he's trying to make jealous," She said.

"Yes, but if the behavior keeps up, Vanilla will never give him a second look," Pie said.

"So, Yuzu likes Vanilla?" Ichigo said.

"'Likes' is an understatement," Rirī said with a laugh.

"Does she return the feelings?" Zakuro asked.

"If she does, she hasn't told me," Rin said. "All I know is that when we were nine, Yuzu kissed Vanilla after beating her in a training session." She grinned. "He walked away with a broken nose."

They all laughed as they heard the door open again.

"Look who finally decided to wake up and grace us with her beautiful smile," Tart said as he entered, carrying Pudding bridal style, her arms around her neck. Pudding giggled and nestled her head under Tart's chin.

"Hey, Pudding," Keiichiro said. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, na no da!" Pudding said as Tart sat down, still holding her close. They were glad to see that the anxiety that Tart had been carrying around for days was gone now that Pudding was awake and on her way to recovering.

They got Pudding up to speed. The blond monkey girl thought for a second, then said,

"Well, why can't we just teleport to where Mylo and Topaz are and arrest them, a sneak attack, na no da? We have enough soldiers that he couldn't fight, na no da."

"Unfortunately, Mylo does have a much a larger force here on Cynnth than he does on Earth," Rirī said. "And, besides, the only way a sneak attack like that could work would be if we knew exactly where he was at that moment, and many had been there before."

"Why would people have had to be there before?" Ichigo asked, her brow furrowed.

"Cyniclons can only teleport to places that they have been to before," Pie explained.

The humans at once thought this made sense and nodded. Except…

"Hey, wait a second," Mint said quickly. "That can't be."

"What do you mean?" Tart asked, his brow furrowed

"I mean that, as of six months ago, Rin, Rirī and Rōzu had never been anywhere near Earth's atmosphere, and yet Rin was able to teleport right into Café Mew Mew," Mint said. "How does that work?"

The humans all turned to stare at Rin for the answer.

Rin and Pie glanced at each other. Pie shrugged and Rin grinned before beginning to speak,

"You must understand, Cyniclon twins are very different from human twins," Rin said. "Twins—whether they be identical or fraternal—are all born with a bond with each other. This bond is a mental link, so that they can talk through thoughts. As mental strength and genius is the power Pie and I share, we are able to communicate more effectively, and are able to send mental images to the other. However, the twins in our mother's lineage are known for other powers as well."

"Like using the fans?" Lettuce asked.

"That is one," Pie said. "But there are two others that we have. One is that—in addition to the mental bond—we also have a physical one, that allows us to know when the other is in pain or in danger."

"And the other is that we are able to 'track' each other," Rin said. "We can teleport to where the other is if we need to help in a battle, even if one has never been there before."

"That is the coolest thing Pudding has ever heard of, na no da!" Pudding said, grinning.

"This also explains so much," Ichigo said as Risa entered the room, carrying a tray of various glasses and bottles.

After giving Pie, Kish and Pudding the medicines they needed, Risa strictly ordered for them to rest. It wasn't hard for them to give in, as they all looked very tired. Tart tucked Pudding back into her bed downstairs while Kish and Pie stayed up in their bedroom, all sound asleep within minutes.

The humans helped the Ikisatashis around the house with the cooking, cleaning and taking care of Asagao. Which, for the girls, mostly meant dressing up the baby like a doll and proclaiming her to be adorable. Asagao was perfectly happy to have all the attention she received and basked in the coos and squeals.

"She's just so cute!" Mint squealed with delight as Rin put Asagao's indigo hair up into two pigtails like the ones Tart used to wear, which was apparently one of the usual hair styles for boys and girls under twelve years old as Rin explained. The humans were all eager to learn about Cyniclon culture and the Ikisatashis were always ready to give a lesson.

"A lot of girls have their hair braided, though," Rirī explained. "Or they'll leave it down. Depending on the length of their hair, boys will either have it in the pigtails or have in a single ponytail."

"What do you do if a boy has really short hair?" Zakuro asked. "Like how boys on Earth wear their hair?"

"Unlike on Earth, we do not cut a child's hair until they reach eleven or twelve years of age, when they begin to choose what style they wish to wear their hair in," Risa explained as she entered Asagao's nursery. "Depending on the density of their hair, some boys have it shorter than others, but others have it longer. As it grows longer, the style the hair is worn in can change if they want to do so."

"Pie never liked that we couldn't cut his hair," Rin said with a laugh. "It used to be just as curly as mine and was shoulder-length until he cut it. We got mistaken for each other all the time, and he really hated that."

"That's why he practically cut it all off when he turned twelve," Rōzu said, grinning as well. "Mama cried for a week."

"Because even if he did not like the curls, I did," Risa said, smiling slightly as she folded a blanket. She chuckled. "We were all expecting the curls to tame down after being cut."

"And it did," Rin said, snickering. "For about ten minutes."

"So, you pick a hairstyle at the age of twelve and that's it, you're stuck with it forever?" Ichigo asked.

"Essentially, yes," Risa said. "But obviously the style you have it at twelve may not be what you want later. Usually, by sixteen is when one will have officially chosen their style. We are rather proud, we Cyniclons, you must understand. The more unique we wear our hair, the prouder we are that we were able to create something so matchless."

They turned as they heard someone rapping a knuckle on the doorframe. They saw Curry standing there, looking serious.

"Rōzu, you have been summoned," He said, staring into his daughter's bronze eyes from where she floated in the air. Rōzu had been floating everywhere since she arrived home, glad that she didn't have to look over her shoulder for unsuspecting humans before doing so.

"Summoned? By who?" Rōzu asked as she uncrossed her legs, floating over in front of her father.

"Chai-Sensei," Curry said. "He did not say why he summoned you, just that he wanted to see you as soon as possible."

Rōzu nodded and ran to her room to put on more acceptable clothes for going to see her Sofu. She pulled on her hooded cloak and left with her father, waving good-bye behind her to her mother, sisters, brothers and friends, though it was hard to make out each other's faces in the thick snow.

Rōzu was greeted at the entrance and was escorted through the halls, Curry having to stay behind. Rōzu was surprised when she was brought to the 'room' where the War Council met.

"I thought I was just here to see Chai-Sofu," She said to her guard.

"No, the whole Council wants to see you," Her escort said, ringing the bell.

Rōzu bit her lip, but entered the room. She was greeted by dozens of eyes, but the only smiling face she saw was Chai's.

"Ah, my rose petal," Chai said. "Come here, Magomusume."

Rōzu trembled slightly as she made her way to the end of the room, feeling herself being watched. She hugged Chai, still feeling the eyes boring into her back. She looked up at Chai, who smiled down at her.

"Why am I here, Sofu?" Rōzu asked.

"I shall explain in a moment," Chai said, gently stroking her cheek. "But for now, will you do me a favor and take out your braids?"

Confused, Rōzu undid the clasps at the end of her braids, unraveling them with her fingers. She shook out her indigo curls that fell around her back, going to just past her ribs. She heard some short gasps go up throughout the room.

"She does look like her," One man whispered.

"Who?" Rōzu asked, her brow furrowed.

"Sit down, Rōzu," Chai said, and Rōzu took a seat beside her pseudo-grandfather. She was presented a cup of tea, and she thanked the woman who put it into her hands. She took a sip to steady herself, trying to relax, but it was hard to do with people still staring at her.

She brushed a curl out of her face as a sketch was placed before her. It was of a girl, her age with dark red curls and orange eyes. Rōzu's brow furrowed as she studied the girl's face. They could have been sisters, no twins.

"Chai-Sofu, who is this girl?" Rōzu asked, looking up.

"This is a from the Southern side of the planet named Ginger," Chai said. "She was to be enrolled at the military academy, but she became 'sick' before she could enter. The truth is, her parents do not want her to be taught there while Mylo is in control. However, she is still on the list to come to the school."

"I don't understand, why did you bring me here to tell me this?" Rōzu asked.

Chai paused.

"Rōzu, how would you like to work as a spy inside the military academy?"


	5. Chapter 5

***jumps out* TA-DA! I've survived another week of classes and I'm here to update! There'll be a cliffie at the end of this chapter (with me, when isn't there one?) and it'll begin to slowly lead to the actual plot for this installment (and the reveal of Mylo's plans).**

**Now, let's see if Miss Rōzu becomes a secret agent, shall we?**

Chapter Five:

"A spy? Me?" Rōzu said, blinking.

"Yes," Chai said. "We would dye your hair and then have you enter the Academy at the beginning of the second semester in Ginger's place. Your job would be to spy on Cayenne and, if at all possible, feed Bell and Pepper false information in order for other students to escape."

"But, why me?" Rōzu asked.

"Because you are smart, you have battle experience, and we know you can take care of yourself if you get caught, according to General Ikisatashi Taruto's account of an incident on Earth in which you were captured by Mylo's soldiers," A woman sitting across from Rōzu said.

Rōzu smiled at remembering the emotional trauma she had given those soldiers. They were still afraid to go near her in battle.

"Plus, you're right at the age where a new student can slip in without arousing suspicion. Not to mention if you play your cards right, you could get into Bell and Pepper's inner circle and take it out from the inside." A man said farther down the table.

"Not to mention that even without the alibi, you would be highly qualified to get in," Another man said, and Rōzu recognized him as one of her siblings' former teachers. "Your scores are the best, and the Academy hasn't been seen any this high since—"

"—Since my brothers and sisters entered the Academy," Rōzu finished.

She had always scored higher than at least one of her siblings in one aspect of training, and not usually by much. She beat Tart at speed, Rin at swordplay, Pie at agility, and Rirī at creating Chimeras. To date, no one had beat Kish's scores.

The only reason she had never gone to the Academy before then was because the other teachers made Chai promise after Rirī left that there would never be more than four of the Ikisatashi children attending the school at a time, no matter how advanced in skill they were. She blamed her siblings and their tendencies to inadvertently cause trouble for that. So what if Pie and Rin had blown up the science lab a total of twelve times before they were fourteen, then just kept adding to that number? And, alright, yes, Kish had been the instigator of a lower-and-middle-levels versus upper-levels prank war, and then led the younger team to victory. And so maybe Tart had gone a little too far when making a plant Chimera and destroyed an entire wing of the school. He was only seven, he hadn't mean to do it. Okay, so _maybe_ he had been throwing a temper tantrum at the time, it was still an accident! And it wasn't Rirī's fault that she broke the instructor's ribs and arm when she flipped him on the first day of fight training. He had told her to react as she would if she was seriously being attacked. He had seen her scores, he should have known what she was capable of.

Well, now that she thought of it, the term "Ikisatashi demon" the teachers used to refer to her older siblings was rather fitting…

Things had gotten considerably worse on Cynnth while Pie, Kish and Tart were gone, and the Academy had temporarily shut down. And the Academy remained shut down after the boys had returned, as the Cyniclons wished to rebuild their lives on the surface, and new students were being seriously looked at only that year. But Rozū had missed that opportunity by being expelled from primary school, thanks to Mylo.

Now this was an opportunity she could have again. One she wanted to jump on instantly. But there was something holding her back. A feeling she couldn't quite explain. Dread, sadness, guilt?

Rōzu stared down at her cup of tea, then looked up at Chai.

"But, Chai-Sofu, you said you were glad that I wasn't at the Academy at this time," She said.

"As yourself, for I fear that you would be targeted," Chai elaborated. "However, as Ginger, I believe you will do better. Besides, this guarantees you will get your military education."

Rōzu was silent for some time. Yes, she wanted nothing more than to go to the Academy, where her older brothers and sisters had thrived and learned so much, where her parents had met, where their lives had changed when Kish, Pie and Tart were presented to Cynnth as the Chosen Ones for the Earth mission. She wanted to be part of that, she wanted to leave her own legacy.

But… There was that feeling again. This time she realized what was holding her back, what was preventing her from saying 'yes' that very second.

"I wouldn't go back to Earth, then," She said softly. "I wouldn't be part of the Tokyo Defenders."

Chai nodded.

"Yes, you would have to stay here," He said.

Rōzu's heart sank. She couldn't disappear to Earth every time Mylo attacked. But she didn't want to leave her friends to fight without her. They were a team, they suffered when one member was absent from a battle. If she were to leave the team for good…

Could she leave them with a good conscious?

"Can I have some time to think about it?" Rōzu asked.

"Take all the time you need," Chai said.

"Arigato," Rōzu said, standing up. She bowed. "Thank you for considering me for this mission. I will think carefully about what my decision will be."

She left the War Council room and walked down the lantern-lit halls. Once she found and empty path, she laid her head against the cool rock.

What was she going to do?

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"So, what did Chai-Sofu want to speak with you about?" Curry asked as he stood up as Rōzu approached.

"He gave me something to think about," Rōzu said, pulling up her hood. "Let's go home."

Curry didn't press, but took his daughter's hand and teleported. After they made the trek through the snow, they were greeted by the warm fire in the living room of the house. Curry, seeing that they needed more firewood, went out back to get more while Rozū took off her snow-soaked clothes.

"You were summoned to see Chai-Sofu, I hear."

Rōzu stopped wrestling with the straps of her boots to look up at Pie, holding a mug of tea in his hand, a blanket around his shoulders, standing in front of the window.

It had been two days since he, Kish and Pudding had initially woken up from being healed, and all three had been doing much better since then. The cut that had to be made on Kish's back was already hurting him less and had healed considerably, and they all were starting to get their full strength back. Rōzu was very happy to see Pie standing on his feet under his own power, especially since the last few times he tried to stand he had to either lie or sit down again within a few minutes, too dizzy to stay upright for very long.

"Hey, you're up," She said, pulling off her boot. "I take it that means you're feeling better, huh?"

"Yes, the dizziness has gone away, and I feel much stronger," Pie answered, taking a sip of his tea. Then he turned to Rōzu. "And you have avoided my question. Is something wrong?"

Rōzu sighed.

"Yes, Chai-Sofu wanted to see me. No, nothing is technically 'wrong'. No, I don't want to talk about it either." She said as she hung her scarf and cloak in front of the fire to dry.

"That is fine," Pie said. He studied Rōzu's face. "May I presume that there are heavy thoughts on your mind?"

"Thoughts the size of an elephant Chimera Animal," Rōzu said with a sigh. She tilted her head. "You look like you've got some pretty heavy stuff going through your head too."

"It is the snow," Pie said, turning to look out the window. "Something is not right about it."

"Is the Mew Aqua not working like it should?" Rōzu asked as she went to stand beside Pie.

"No, that is not it," Pie answered. "More like something is affecting it, causing it to act this way."

"Mylo did abuse the planet some and blamed the Mew Aqua," Rōzu reminded him as she looked out the window with her brother. "Maybe people have tried to take it out of the ground. Could that be it?"

"No, only the Mew Mews are strong enough to remove it pure from the ground," Pie said. "Ichigo and Lettuce in particular. Kish, Tart and I tried finding it in other forms, but most of the time it was not enough to get a reaction or it had become tarnished and therefore not pure and useless."

"I wonder if it knows," Rōzu said softly. "That Mylo's back, and that he's fighting us. And it's protecting us."

"Protecting us?" Pie repeated.

"Yeah," Rōzu said. "It knows we're here, and that Mylo can't know we're here and so it's making sure no one can get to us."

Pie smiled softly.

"Your theories are much more cheerful than mine," He said, reaching up to ruffle Rōzu's curls. His brow furrowed. "Why is your hair down?"

"No reason," Rōzu said quickly. A little too quickly, as Pie quirked an eyebrow at her. "Just, you know, warmer. To have it down."

"Alright, then," Pie said. He turned back to the window again. "You know you can talk to me if there is something on your mind. That is the reason I exist as your older brother, you know."

Rōzu smiled and wrapped her arms around her brother's waist.

"I know," She said, letting Pie run his hand over her curls. "And, I promise, I'll tell you. I just can't right now."

"I can accept that," Pie said.

Rōzu couldn't let herself let go of Pie.

She might not be able to do it again for a long time.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"This is so pretty, Risa Oba-San," Ichigo said as she ran her fingers over the large quilt. "Did you make this?"

Risa chuckled as she got onto the bed beside her daughters and the Mew Mews.

"Oh, no, Ichigo, I did not, but I have added onto it," She said as she ran her own fingers over the cloth and the gold embroidery that made an incomplete swirl on the quilt. "This has been passed down from generation to generation, each adding on their own piece. This is called a 'Unity Cloth', and is used in marriage ceremonies and used to document ancestry."

"How does it do that, Mama-San, na no da?" Pudding asked. Pudding had surprised everyone when she didn't call Risa "Oba-San" like the other humans did upon being introduced to her. Risa, however, said nothing against it and allowed Pudding to call her so, the young girl already considered her daughter in her mind.

"This quilt acts as our family's records, our family tree so to speak. We record the dates and names of the births, weddings and deaths of our family members on a Unity Cloth," Rin explained, pointing to the gold embroidery that read out her name and Pie's name beside the day they were born, coming from the names of their parents and the date of their wedding. As the human girls studied the embroidery, they saw the other names of the Ikisatashi children, Kish's name having a second date beside his birthday with a note observing that it was the day he was officially adopted.

"During a wedding ceremony, the groom will wear his family's Unity Cloth over his clothes, and then he will wrap it around his bride, officially welcoming her into his family and promising to protect her forever," Risa said, smiling as she thought of her own wedding day.

"That's so romantic," Lettuce said with a wistful sigh.

"It truly is," Risa said. "My favorite part of this tradition is that by being wrapped in her husband-to-be's Unity Cloth, the bride is also being welcomed by his family, whether they be among us or have left us."

"Gone but not forgotten," Zakuro said softly. Risa nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps thundering up the stairwell. Curry burst open the door, followed by Kish, Pie, Tart, Keiichiro and Ryou, all looking alarmed.

"What's wrong?" Mint asked, getting to her feet, slipping her hand inside the pocket of her skirt for her pendant.

"Put it away," Tart said suddenly to the girls, seeing that they were all going for their pendants and stones. "We've got company."

Risa's eyes widened.

"Who?" She demanded in a whisper.

"Topaz, Cayenne and ten soldiers," Curry said grimly. "They are making their way here. We believe they found the ship."

Risa climbed off the bed.

"Stay here, all of you," She said. "Do not transform, do not bring out any weapons until we know what is going on."

"If there is to be a battle, we will lower the teleportation shields, in which we all go to the Rebel headquarters," Curry said. "Risa and I will act as if you are not here, and that everything is normal."

The Tokyo Defenders nodded, all feeling shaken. They watched as Curry and Risa quickly left the room, closing the door. They heard the sounds of Curry and Risa quickly hiding any and all trace of other inhabitants of the household, putting things in cupboards and de-materializing things into hiding.

Then, everything and everyone froze when they heard a knock from the front door.

The Tokyo Defenders held their breath as they listened at the door, trying to get an indicator as to what was happening downstairs.

They heard Risa open the door.

"Topaz. What a wonderful surprise," Risa said, her voice oozing sarcasm.

"Shūtome," Topaz said warmly as she pulled off her gloves. "Lovely to see you, too."

"You are presumptuous in calling me your mother-in-law," Risa said dryly, her indigo eyes narrowing. "Seeing as you are not married to any of my sons. Or married at all for that matter."

"A matter of time, my dear," Topaz said, flashing Risa a winning smile as one of her guards removed her wrap while another held her gloves. "I am afraid I am here on business instead of pleasure."

"You have no business here," Curry said gruffly.

"But I do," Topaz said, her high-heeled boots clicking on the stone floor as she walked further into the house. Topaz's pale purple eyes gleamed as she saw Asagao asleep in her cradle. She snapped her fingers.

"Cayenne, bring the child to me," She ordered a tall, lanky young man with bright red hair worn shoulder-length with two short pigtails framing his face and dark green eyes. He wore red pants, black boots, and a red and black sleeveless midriff shirt with dark red bands around his forearms.

"As you wish, m'lady," He said in a deep voice with a nod.

"Stay away from her!" Risa cried, but she was shoved into her husband by another guard as Cayenne made his way across the room and gently lifted Asagao from her cradle, knowing just how to hold the baby.

"Relax, she will not be harmed," Topaz said, allowing Cayenne to place the infant in her arms. "She is merely… extra security."

"For what?" Curry demanded, his hard bronze eyes only on his daughter, his fists clenched.

"For your cooperation, of course," Topaz said, gently running her finger over Asagao's round cheek. "The ship that was commissioned to your sons was found on the edge of your property and reported in. And as you know, for bringing the Mew Aqua to Cynnth, they are to be executed. However, Mylo and I have been discussing this and feels that it is a waste to kill such skilled warriors. Therefore, they will be… _rehabilitated_ and brought into Mylo's service."

"You will do no such thing to our sons," Risa growled. "And what does this have to do with Asagao?"

"Ah, that's where we get to the fun part," Topaz said with a smirk before turning to her soldiers. "Search the entire house. If we find anything, this precious baby gets to stay with her Mama and Papa. However, if we don't—" Her smirk grew. "—She's coming with us."

"What do we do?" Ichigo asked.

"We're not letting Asagao be taken by Topaz," Rin said, her eyes in slits.

"But how do we do that without getting captured?" Zakuro asked.

Rirī started to say something, but upon opening her mouth realized that her voice was gone. She looked at the others in confusion. Mint tried to raise her hand, but then realized that her muscles were frozen. No one could speak, or move.

But their eyes all turned to Kish, Pie and Tart as they stood up and opened the door carefully, stepping out onto the landing.

"No need for a grand search, Topaz," Kish said softly. "We are the only ones here."

Topaz grinned as she looked up.

"Well, long time no see, Pie-Chan," Topaz said, watching as Kish, Pie and Tart came down the stairs, her eyes only for Pie. A flash of irritation crossed Cayenne's face and his eyes grew hard as he glared at Pie.

"You're looking good." Topaz said flirtatiously to Pie. "Has your hair gotten a bit longer? I like it."

"We will come quietly," Pie said, blowing off Topaz's compliment. "Provided you keep your word and return Asagao to our parents without harm."

"Anything for you, my love. I wasn't truly going to harm her you know. I would never to that to my future Imouto," Topaz said, batting her eyelashes. Pie came over and gently extracted Asagao from her arms, holding his baby sister to him for a moment, checking her over for harm.

Asagao's bronze eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at her brother, studying him curiously.

"Don't worry, Asagao," Tart whispered, gently stroking the baby's indigo hair. "We know what we're doing."

Asagao smiled up at her brothers and they smiled back before Pie placed Asagao in his mother's arms. Tears streaming down her face, Risa held Asagao to her with one arm, then stood on her toes to hug Pie with the other arm. Pie returned the affection and kissed the top of his mother's head. Reluctantly, Risa let go of Pie and hugged Tart and Kish as well.

"Be good for Mama and Papa, alright, Imouto?" Pie murmured, running his hand over Asagao's dark curls. The little girl nodded, as if she knew what she was being asked.

"Boys, you do not have to do this," Curry said, laying his hand on his eldest son's shoulder to turn Pie to face him.

"Yes, we do," Kish said, putting his hand on his adopted father's arm. "Sometimes, in order to defend what you love, you have to make sacrifices. And this is one we are more than willing to make."

Curry sighed.

"Then I hope fortune smiles on you, my sons," He said, quickly embracing each of his boys for what he prayed would not be the last time.

Topaz rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers again. Soldiers quickly grabbed each of the Ikisatashi brothers and dragged him away.

"Restrictors," Topaz demanded, holding out her hand. The objects were placed in her open palm. Pie, Kish and Tart held out their wrists without complaint and allowed Topaz to snap them on.

Topaz nodded, then said,

"Nothing more for us here, time to move out," She ordered.

Upstairs, the Tokyo Defenders were still frozen. The powers Tart, Kish and Pie had used to restrain them had stopped working the second the Restrictors were on their wrists, but they couldn't move after that, stunned.

Rin moved first, throwing open the door and running down the stairs. Her mother sat on the couch, silently weeping as she held Asagao to her, Curry leaning his forehead against the door.

"Why did they do that?" Rin demanded, tears running down her cheeks. "We could have held our own, even if we were captured! Pie and Kish are still sick, what were they thinking?"

"They were thinking that it was the only way for us all to be alive," Ryou said darkly. He hit his fist against the wall. "So that we can go back to Earth to fight Mylo."

"They shouldn't have, though," Rirī said, her voice sad. "Kish and Pie still can't fight, and Tart doesn't have many options with the Restrictors on."

"Look," Ichigo said, taking charge. "Kish, Pie and Tart did not just willingly volunteer to go to prison so that we could stand around feeling guilty and see this as a loss. We need to take action."

"And do what?" Lettuce asked through her own tears. "Return to Earth?"

"Nope," Ichigo said. She gave a Kish-like smirk, which both comforted and scared her friends. "We're going to lead a prison break."

* * *

**Well, this will be interesting, now won't it? *evil grin***


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Vernal Equinox! :)**

**Alright, so, where were we? Oh, yeah, Topaz captured Kish, Pie and Tart. Huh. Guess we better see what comes from that, shouldn't we?  
**

**Oh yeah, and there's a hidden Mew Mew Power quote in here! Here's a hint: it's a Dren quote. No, it won't be said by Kish. I love him too much to insult him like that.**

**Note (Really, this is the last one, then you can get on with the story): I recently learned that I had been writing something incorrectly. Instead of Sofu/Sobo-Name, it's Name-Sofu/Sobo. That's why those names will look different from now on.**

Chapter Six:

Pie shivered from where he sat on the cold metal table. The warm clothes he had been wearing were taken from him when he arrived at the "prison", and he was now wearing only thin linen pants. After he had dressed in prison garb, he had been taken into this room. Supposedly, Topaz was coming in soon, to 'interrogate' him.

_Yeah, right,_ Pie thought, looking around the gray-walled room that resembled a doctor's office. Various cabinets that lined the walls were locked, and gave him no indication as to what their contents could be. _More like torture until she hears what she wants to hear._

He didn't look up as he heard Topaz enter.

"I swear, you get hotter every time I see you," Topaz said, pulling over a chair from the corner. She sat down in it and crossed her legs. Pie noticed that she held something small, flat and black in her hands.

"That is mine," He said, realizing that it was his wallet, forgetting that it had been in his pocket when he was brought in, having put it there out of habit.

"Mine now," Topaz said with a smirk. She opened it up and started flipping through its contents, emptying it as she went. Yen coins and bills, Pie's ID, movie ticket stubs, receipts and business cards soon littered the floor. Topaz's head suddenly tilted and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Who is this?" She demanded, showing him the picture of Lettuce she had found.

"My girlfriend," Pie said.

"Cheeky liar," Topaz said, giving him a condescending smile. "I know that's not me."

"I know that as well," Pie said, returning the belittling look. "And I also know that you will never be courted by me."

Topaz smile grew wider as she threw Lettuce's picture into the corner of the room.

"We'll see about that," She said, standing up. She put her hands on Pie's shoulders and started to push him backwards. "Come on now, lie down, get comfortable."

Pie considered fighting her, but was painfully aware that he was on her turf. All she had to do was scream and someone would come to help her. There was nothing he could do. Yet.

"That's my boy," Topaz said, running her fingers through Pie's hair briefly as he lay against the cold table. She then fastened his wrists down to the table and did the same with his ankles.

"May I ask what you are doing?" Pie asked.

"Sorry, but this is merely precautionary. So that you don't get hurt during your rehabilitation process," Topaz said, going over to the cabinet against the wall. She pulled out a device with a multitude of electrodes emerging from it. "This is just simply going to help you see the truth, rewire your brain a bit. It might hurt a little, but I'll be right here with you."

"It is physically impossible for me to care less about you, Topaz," Pie said, flinching slightly as Topaz put the first electrode against his forehead. "Though you are currently making me wonder if there is any possibility of being able to overthrow those limitations."

"Oh, come on now," Topaz said as Pie flinched again as she placed another wire in the crook of Pie's arm, ignoring his previous statement. "Don't be a baby. I promise, it will all be over in a few hours. Then we get to start planning our wedding."

"I absolutely refuse to marry you," Pie said.

"Oh, Pie dearest," Topaz said, clicking her tongue. "Don't you see? This will clear the fog from your mind. You will no longer have to hide your feelings for me. It will all be good in the end."

Pie scoffed and turned his head away, knowing that at this point, he was just wasting breath arguing with her.

Topaz sighed sadly but continued on her task. Suddenly, she smiled mischievously as she started trailing her fingers over Pie's chest, running her hand over the muscles on his torso. Pie ignored it, staring at the ceiling, thinking of Lettuce.

When Lettuce did the same action Topaz was doing at that moment, it made his heart race and his face heat. The first time she had done it, he had worried briefly that she was not impressed with his physical appearance, but those worries were gone as he saw her eyes, full of wonder, love, and little bit of greed.

But with Topaz, he felt nothing but annoyance. Because when he saw her pale purple eyes, they were full of lust, but not love.

Disappointed in Pie's lack of reaction, Topaz pulled her fingers back and stepped away, her heart breaking.

_It wasn't supposed to be this way,_ she thought, looking down at her feet as she stepped towards the counter. She and Pie were supposed to live happily ever after. Pie was to be hers, and only hers. She scowled, clenching her fists. What did that geeky human girl have that she didn't?

Topaz flipped her long pale-pink hair over her shoulder proudly.

_I mean, look at me,_ Topaz thought to herself as she briefly admired her reflection in the metal cabinet pull. Her momentary proud smile waned as she picked up the control box on the counter.

She hesitated. She didn't want to hurt Pie in any way. But Mylo said it would be good for him, that he would realize he loved her…

Topaz took a deep breath and turned back to Pie, smiling softly at him as she ran her hand over his forehead again, smoothing back his pale purple locks.

"This may hurt a bit, but it will be alright in the end. I promise." She said gently.

Pie didn't speak to her, didn't even look at her. He never did say anything to her, never did throw a glance in her direction. He was cool, distant, stoic and stubborn. Topaz loved that about him. But it also hurt that he didn't give her any attention, while she devoted as much of her life as she could to him as she could, and all her attempts at getting closer to him only ended in harsh rejection.

_That's going to change now,_ Topaz thought as she stared down at the controller in her hand.

And she threw the switch.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Across the planet, Rin let out a cry of pain, gripping hold of the table before her to remain upright.

"Rin!" Keiichiro exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her. Risa gently cupped her daughter's cheek.

"Rin…" She whispered softly, her eyes wide.

"Shock," Rin forced out, breathing heavily. "Hurts, but won't do what Mylo wants it to do. Pie's too strong mentally."

"Can you continue?" Risa asked worriedly.

Rin nodded, the tension in her shoulders easing as she stood upright. She still looked like she was the one in physical agony instead of just getting the backlash, but she took a deep breath and looked back down at the map, her face and eyes blank. Lettuce, however, made a hasty excuse to leave the room, her eyes over-flowing with tears, Zakuro going after her to attempt to comfort her.

Chai gazed sadly at Rin, who remained emotionless, and continued.

"As I was saying, the building Mylo is using as a prison was the planet's primary hospital until he took over," He said.

"He took over the hospital, to make it a prison?" Ichigo repeated, her eyes wide.

"Why not continue to use the prison system already in use?" Rirī asked, frowning. "Putting those that have been convicted underground?"

Though to the humans, it sounded like nothing, but coming out of the Cyniclon girl's mouth, it sounded like the worst punishment imaginable. And when you spent your whole life forced to live underground, and then finally are able to live in sunshine, being made to go underground again was torture.

"We at first believed he would do so," Curry said. "However, Mylo has once again done the unexpected."

_How can one being be so selfish?_ Ichigo wondered. She stared down at the map of Iriomote City. Near the hospital was a large star on the map.

"Chai-Sofu, what is this on the map?" Ichigo asked, pointing to the star.

"That is Mew Aqua Tree," Chai explained. "That is where Kisshu, Pie and Taruto released the Mew Aqua. We thought it would do justice to the landmark to build Iriomote City around it."

"There's this big tree with leaves of different colors. It was the first thing that came up when the Mew Aqua began to work," Rōzu said.

"It's also where the Mew Aqua is at its most powerful," Rin said, her arms wrapped around her chest. Suddenly, her face warped with pain and she took several deep breaths, doubling over again. Keiichiro took her by the arm and forced her to sit down in a chair before she fell over.

"What can we do?" Keiichiro asked, looking up at Risa hopefully, wanting the woman he loved to be relieved of her agony.

"Get Pie out of there," Rin answered in a gasp, gripping the arms of the chair so tight her claws left marks. "That's the only thing."

"You cannot fight like this," Risa said, kneeling down beside her daughter. "You need to break the connection."

Rin shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks as her curls hit her in the face from shaking her head so hard and so fast.

"It's not bad," She insisted quickly. "It's not bad."

Risa frowned.

"Rirī, fetch my tonic box," Risa said. Rirī nodded solemnly and teleported away.

"Rin," Risa said, taking her daughter's hands. "You know what I need to do."

"No," Rin begged, her eyes wide. "No, please no."

Rirī teleported back in, carrying a small crate, gazing at her older sister with pity as she set it down on the table. Risa opened it and pulled out a cloth and vial. She carefully poured the liquid onto the cloth and went back to kneel beside Rin.

"Keiichiro, Curry, hold her still," Risa ordered, not meeting her daughter's eyes.

Keiichiro and Curry each firmly put their hands on Rin, who screamed and tried to fight, but it was too late. Risa had put the cloth firmly over her mouth and nose. Within seconds, Rin's body relaxed and she was unconscious. Risa removed the cloth and gently stroked her daughter's face as Keiichiro held her in his arms.

"She is not going to be happy when she wakes up," Chai said, his eyes dejectedly staring at the map.

"I know that two of my children were in pain," Risa said as she stood up, her eyes hard. "I had a chance to take away the agony for one of them, and took it. Now, may we please continue so that we can do the same for her twin?"

They were all more somber as they continued their rescue plans. If Pie was in so much pain, they worried as to what could be happening with Kish and Tart.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

While Tart was not in pain, he still was seriously annoyed.

He was strapped down to a table with Chile floating over him, taunting him, telling him all the horrible things he would do to Pudding when he captured her. Tart did his best to ignore him, but that was hard to do when he had no way to avoid looking at Chile, because the other boy could float around to put his face into Tart's no matter which way Tart turned his head.

"Chile," Tart said as he glared up at Chile, finally fed up. "If your problem is with me, why do you want to take it out on Pudding?"

"I thought it'd be obvious," Chile said, folding his legs to hover in the air over Tart's chest. "She's your weakness."

"My weakness?" Tart repeated. "That's it?"

"Of course," Chile said. He stopped hovering and put one foot on Tart's stomach, going down on one knee and sticking his face into Tart's. "It should have been me and my brothers who went on the mission for Deep Blue. And yet, even though you weren't old enough to even be considered, Deep Blue chose you."

"I didn't ask for him to do that," Tart sneered. Chile dug his toes deeper into Tart's stomach. It hurt some, but Tart didn't show it. "And we won fair and square. Pie and I didn't even really 'win' either. I got third place and Pie got second. Kish beat all of us. He's the best. We can all admit that. He was perfect for the job."

"Yeah, but he failed," Chile said. He stood up, putting all his weight onto the foot on Tart's stomach. "And so did you. You come from a family of failures."

"We didn't fail," Tart snapped. "We just succeeded in a way no one thought possible."

"By falling in love with stupid human girls," Chile said sarcastically. "And betraying Deep Blue. Yeah, there's something to be proud of."

"I am," Tart said. "There is nothing you can do or say that can take that away from me."

"I know that," Chile said. He smirked. "That's why I'll take your girl."

"You lay a finger on her and I'll cut it off," Tart growled.

Chile's smirk vanished and he looked down at Tart with narrowed eyes, his expression one of confusion.

"Huh," He said. "That's odd."

Tart rolled his eyes.

"Mind informing me what happens to be so 'odd'?" Tart demanded.

Chile did a little jump, landing with both feet. Tart moaned in pain as all of Chile's weight hit his stomach.

"Like I'm really going to tell you," Chile said with a sneer as he hopped off the table, leaving Tart moaning, chained to the cold surface of the metal table. As he opened the door, Chile glanced over his shoulder.

"By the way, I'm really going to enjoy being your superior," He said with a smirk.

Though his wrists were tied down, that didn't stop Tart from aiming a crude gesture at Chile, telling him exactly what he thought of that.

Chile just laughed and flicked off the lights before closing the door, leaving Tart to curse in the dark silence.

Tart banged the back of his head against the table, frowning.

_Don't worry, Pudding,_ He thought. _I'm not going to let that sick psycho touch you. And if he does…_

Tart grinned, white fangs gleaming in the shadows. Alone in the dark, he laughed darkly as he planned out Chile's demise if he followed through with any of his threats, or even got within two feet of his Pudding.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Pudding sniffed, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand. She was tired, still not fully recovered from her bout of poisoning.

"Are you alright, Pudding?" Ryou asked, coming up to gently rub her back.

"Pudding's fine, Ryou Onii-Chan," Pudding said, smiling up at Ryou. "Pudding's just tired, na no da."

Ryou frowned.

"Maybe you should go lie down," He suggested.

"No, Pudding won't rest yet, na no da," Pudding said, readjusting her grip on Tart's stone, clutched possessively in her fist. "Not until she knows how she's going to rescue her Taru-Taru."

"If Tart were here, he'd have you tucked into bed by now," Ryou said gently. "He'd want to make sure you were fully and completely healthy again."

When Pudding still didn't look convinced, Ryou sighed and said,

"Besides, you're going to need your strength to get him back. Strength's not something you have a lot of at the moment, and it is something you're going to need a lot of in the morning."

Pudding nodded, staring at the ground. She let Ryou pick her up and carry her over to a sleep mat.

She was asleep within seconds, mentally hearing Tart's voice, gently lulling her to sleep.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

The only thing stopping Pie from strangling Topaz was that he was numb, and yet ached all over. His muscles, his bones, his stomach, his head, everything hurt.

She had finally stopped the shock 'treatment'. She took off the electrodes, promising to check on him in the morning, urging him to sleep. Hesitantly, she undid the bonds.

"I'm not supposed to," She explained. "But you'll be more comfortable."

Pie didn't respond. He was too busy gasping for air to calm himself and glaring up at the girl. He wanted to wrap one of his hands around her neck and squeeze, but found that he was too stiff to do so.

She tenderly placed a blanket over him, and kissed his forehead.

"I'm sorry I had to do that," She said softly, reaching under the blanket to squeeze his hand. "But, I wouldn't do it if it wasn't good for you."

And she left, glancing over her shoulder as she did so.

As soon as she was gone, Pie started clenching and un-clenching his fists, the feeling starting to return to his limbs. He tried sitting up, but his head hurt too much to try that again. He rolled off the table, thinking he could catch himself. For once in his life, he was wrong. Painfully wrong.

"Ow!" He hissed, rubbing his forehead where it had struck the hard, cement floor, already starting to feel a bruise forming. Cursing, he began to crawl on the floor over to the corner, searching with his fingers until he found what he was looking for.

The picture.

In the darkness, Pie's cat-like eyes studied the picture of Lettuce, smiling as she smiled up at him. He pulled the picture to his chest and closed his eyes, curling up into a ball, praying that she and the others had retreated to Earth, where she would be safe.

_Please be safe,_ He thought. _Please, please, be safe, Lettuce._

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Lettuce lay curled on her side, sniffling, blinking away tears as she held Pie's stone to her chest, letting it rest right on her Mew Mark.

All day, her friends had tried to comfort her, but none of them could subside her tears. The only cure for that would be having Pie's arms around her, and her arms around him, knowing that he was safe and sound.

_Please be okay, Pie,_ She thought. _Just hang on. We're coming. Just please be okay._

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Kish kept his eyes shut, and wished he could do the same with his ears. Mylo had decided to be the one to personally torture Kish, and had brought Cayenne and Jalapeno along to do so.

Kish knew what he was trying to do, trying to recreate the night he received the scars he hid under the red wrappings that had been removed when he arrived. Put him—weak, out-numbered and without means to escape—alone in a room with these three older, stronger bullies while he remained strapped helpless to a table, with the scars he was self-conscious about and only showed to a few people bared.

But Kish wouldn't break before Mylo. He refused to do so.

So he thought of Ichigo. He thought of her big smiling brown eyes, her comforting and loving smile, the way she laughed, how she put her arms around him and held him to her, how warm she felt when she snuggled into him, the softness and warmth of her cute cat ears that he loved to touch even though she turned red whenever they popped out, the feel of her lips gently kissing him, her hand going over his hair and ears, even how she always smelled of strawberries.

It was because of Ichigo he stayed strong.

Mylo scowled down at Kish, who now had a large grin on his face. With an indignant scoff, Mylo stormed out of the room, deciding that this wasn't worth his time. Jalapeno—a tall young man with vivid red hair worn in a single long ponytail, bright green eyes and all-black clothing—quickly following. Cayenne, however, lingered.

"It must be nice, huh?" He said softly. "To know that the girl you love loves you back."

Kish opened an eye to stare at his tormentor, now gazing sadly at the floor.

"That's why you're smiling, isn't it?" Cayenne asked. "You're thinking about your girl."

"My Koneko-Chan," Kish said. He studied Cayenne with an arched brow. "Got girl problems, Cayenne?"

Cayenne scoffed.

"Like you care," He said. "But, yeah. I'm always there, and she always looks past me. Like I'm invisible." Cayenne turned away from Kish. "Did she love you the moment you first met?"

"Opposite, actually," Kish said with a chuckle. "I stole her first kiss. She was saving it for her then boyfriend. She was ticked off."

Cayenne was silent for a moment.

"She loved another?" He asked at last, sounding almost hopeful.

"Yeah, but then she realized she liked me, and that I loved her," Kish said. He studied the back of Cayenne's head, as if that could tell him what the older boy was thinking. "Anyone I know?" He asked out of curiosity.

There was a hesitant pause as Cayenne stiffened before saying harshly,

"No."

"Hmm," Kish said. "And I expect you want dating advice, then, huh?"

"No," Cayenne spat. "I don't want anything from you."

With that, Cayenne stormed out of the room, leaving Kish alone.

Kish sighed in the silence, wondering if he had just been like Cayenne when Ichigo was still hopelessly in love with Masaya. Probably. Give or take the amount of sulking.

Kish closed his eyes, bringing to mind a mental picture of his beloved Koneko-Chan. He hoped that she had retreated to Earth, with the other Mews and his sisters. She would be safe there…

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Earth and her own safety were the last things on Ichigo's mind as she sat at the mouth of the cave, watching the snow continue to fall through the waterfall. The snow had lightened considerably, and it looked like it was going to stop all together by dawn.

They were to leave at dawn, ready to fight.

And yet, she couldn't help but feel that something terribly wrong was about to happen.

All day, she had gone over every single battle in the last six months in her head. Half the time it felt like Mylo hadn't even been trying. Or he hadn't show up at all to taunt them and chase after Rin. In fact, he had for the most part completely ignored her in their last battle.

But there was one battle in particular that stood out from the rest.

The battle of the Autumnal Equinox: the battle that Mylo stabbed Pie, that they discovered the medpod and most of the ship was destroyed and that Mylo had stolen Pie's research.

She hadn't given it much thought up to now, but after Rin had to be knocked out so that she stopped feeling the pain Pie was in, she couldn't stop her mind from going back to that night. It just didn't add up.

The plant Chimera they couldn't destroy. Mylo injuring Pie. The medpod destroyed as well as most of the ship, yet it could still fly with a few minor repairs.

Why didn't it make sense?

She sighed and gazed down at her hands. In one hand, she held her pendant. In the other, she held Kish's stone.

Tears pricked Ichigo's eyes, worrying for Kish, and Pie, and Tart, her heart wrenching. No, she couldn't afford to continue to think of past battles. She had to only think of the one that would come with the sunrise.

Struggling not to cry, she brought both stones to her chest.

"Hang on, Kish," She whispered before going to lie down beside Rirī and Mint. "We're coming."


	7. Chapter 7

***pops head out* I'M BA-ACK!**

**Guess what time it is?**  
**IT'S GOOD NEWS-BAD NEWS TIME!**

**Ahem. On to the Good News: I've got two more tests left in both of my classes, then I am done! And I just got a 95 on my psych test, my highest test grade in either class (Yes, this is the only reason why I am able to post this)! And my cap and gown for graduation came yesterday! And I can take the classes I want to this summer!**

**And, uh, now onto the bad news.**

**So... I'm only going to have two weeks of a break between these classes and the start of my next classes... One ends late June/early July. The other (and harder) class will go until August.**

**So my plan at this point is that this will be my last chapter posted until after my current classes end (I apologize in advance for the cliff-hanger ending). Then I'll try to give bi-weekly (possibly tri-weekly, provided I can finish up a few more chapters) updates the first two weeks of May. And then we're back to updates whenever possible. Which probably won't be often.**

**Sorry folks, but my education must come first.**

Chapter Seven:

Rōzu sharpened her sais, sitting in deep thought. Her mind was a blur: Mylo's schemes and 'ultimate weapon', the problems with the Mew Aqua, the need to rescue her brothers, Chai-Sofu's offer to become a spy, knowing that if she took the position she would have to abandon the Tokyo Defenders.

"Heavy thoughts on a young mind."

Rōzu looked up at Chai.

"Funny, that's what Pie said," She muttered.

"Are you worried about this battle?" Chai asked as he sat across from her.

"I'm not worried about fighting. I'm worried that we will get there too late," Rōzu muttered. She closed her eyes. "What if we are too late, Chai-Sofu? What if Mylo really has had them brainwashed? Or… or worse. What if they're dead?"

Chai put a hand on her shoulder.

"We will face that beast if we must," He said softly. He paused before continuing. "I know Pie, Kisshu and Taruto would prefer death over being Mylo's pawns. And I also know that they would want us to live on."

"I know that too," Rōzu muttered. "But I don't want to think about that scenario."

"Neither do I," Chai whispered.

They were both silent, the only sound being that of Rōzu's blade swiping over the sharpening stone. Then Chai spoke.

"Have you given any thought to my proposition?"

Rōzu frowned.

"I have, and I still cannot tell you my decision yet," She said. "This battle will decide more than if my brothers live or not. It will tell me what I need to do."

"I can understand and respect that," Chai said with a nod.

"Arigato," Rōzu muttered.

Because at this moment, that was the only thing she had.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Rin fiddled with the string around her neck that held the small bag of herbs against her chest. She frowned. She didn't like being cut off from Pie, but she knew she had no choice. She couldn't fight if Mylo or Topaz tried to torture him again. She sighed and clutched the cloth bag in her fist.

Yes, this temporary silence would be worth it.

Rin took a deep breath and looked at her assembled comrades. The Mews were transformed, as were Rirī and Rōzu. Yuzu, Vanilla and some others were ready for battle, each carrying their own weapons. Keiichiro and Ryou, though not usually fighters, wanted to come as well and had found weapons that suited them: Ryou had throwing stars and Keiichiro had a sword.

Chai's wife—Gama—stood off to the side, gently bouncing Asagao in her arms. Curry and Risa were coming to fight as well, Curry with his spear and Risa with her own bow and quiver full of arrows. Both looked like they were going to walk over to Gama, but both forced themselves to be distant. They both knew that the second they got near their daughter, they were not going to want to leave.

"Please be safe, all of you," Gama said, her green eyes full of worry.

"We will, Gama-Sobo," Rirī said, giving her a smile.

"I think we're ready to go," Mint said, casting a gaze at the Ichigo, Lettuce and Pudding, all of whom were quit visibly anxious.

Ichigo wrapped her hand around Kish's stone, then tucked it into her pocket.

"Time to move out," She muttered.

"Good luck," Chai said.

There was a joined mutter of thanks as they left the cave, following Ichigo (the voted leader of the mission) down the path. Once they were at the bottom of the mountain, they teleported to just outside Iriomote City. The city looked practically deserted. And it was quiet. Too quiet.

It was easy to get into the former hospital, now prison. There were few guards outside and they were easily and quietly taken care of by Vanilla, who's power was the ability to make others unconscious using her mind. According to Rin, the first person she used it on was Yuzu. No one was surprised to learn that.

After hiding the guards and making sure they couldn't come after them, one of the other soldiers accessed the door, the others ready to face any guards that would be waiting for them inside.

But there were none.

"This place reminds me of a _Doctor Who_ episode," Ichigo muttered. "A very scary one at that."

"Did it end well?" Rōzu asked, swords at the ready.

"To answer your question and to quote the Doctor, 'Just this once, Rose, everybody lives!'," Ichigo said. "Really. It was just that one time."

"I am not sure if that is comforting or disheartening," Risa said.

"Pudding's got a bad feeling about this, na no da," Pudding muttered as they looked around the empty hallways.

"Yeah, so do I," Rin said, flicking her wrist to unfold her fan. "It's too easy. Something's going to go wrong any second now…"

"Should we reverse course, Mew Ichigo-Sama?" One soldier asked.

"No, we press on," Ichigo said, her eyes flicking down every hall. "But don't let your guard down for a second."

"Ichigo," Zakuro said in a low voice. "We're never going to find the boys if we stay together. Not to mention we draw too much attention to ourselves."

Ichigo nodded.

"Split up into groups of four," Ichigo said. "There should be five groups. There are five floors. Each group will take a floor. A Mew will be in each group, and we will communicate through our pendants."

The groups divided. Ichigo, Vanilla, Rirī and Curry were one group. Lettuce, Rin, Keiichiro and Yuzu were another. Pudding, Risa, Rōzu and another soldier were a group. Zakuro, Ryou and two Cyniclon soldiers made up another group. And Mint and the three remaining soldiers made up the last group.

The groups split up, all uneasy and hoping that nothing would go wrong.

Ichigo's group took the third floor. They searched every room. They found treatment and exam rooms, patient rooms, operating theaters, stock rooms, and rooms filled with medpods. But there was no one in any of the rooms.

"One would think we would find other prisoners," Vanilla said.

Ichigo frowned and reached up and pressed her pendant.

"Has anyone found prisoners other than Kish, Pie and Tart yet?" She asked.

"Nope," Mint responded.

"Not yet," Zakuro said.

"No," Lettuce said sadly.

"No, na no da," Pudding said.

Ichigo's frown deepened.

"Rin, can you take off the bag of herbs that's cutting off your connection with Pie? I want you to see if he's actually in the building."

"Gladly," Rin said, already having it off and shoved into Keiichiro's hand before Ichigo could finish her sentence.

There was a pause, and Rin responded,

"Yeah, he's here. I can feel him. He's close, I can feel it"

"Go ahead and track him using your bond," Ichigo said. "Report back when you find him. The first team to finish a floor head to meet up with another group."

"Hai," Came the response.

Ichigo sighed and looked over at her team.

"Let's continue," She said before opening a door.

Her teammates nodded and continued to do the same.

The last door of the floor came and Rirī, Curry and Vanilla watched anxiously as Ichigo opened it. She burst into a grin at seeing a person with dark green hair lying on a table, snoring loudly.

"Kish!" She said excitedly, running over to the table. It was indeed Kish, whose golden eyes snapped open at hearing his name being called. He grinned up at Ichigo as she started to unbind his wrists.

"Miss me, Koneko-Chan?" He asked as he sat up once his wrists were free while Vanilla and Curry unbound his ankles.

"What do you think, baka?" Ichigo asked, grinning as she threw her arms around Kish's neck, holding him to her protectively and possessively, letting him to the same with her.

Then she backed away and glared at him.

"You ever scare me like that again, and I swear I'll…" She growled. Kish just laughed, petting her ears as he stood up.

"You'll 'what' kitten?" He teased, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Make me rescue myself?"

Ichigo's retort was lost, as she was too busy trying to prevent herself from staring at Kish's bare torso before her.

Kish pulled her to him, bringing his forehead to hers, reaching up to gently stroke her cheek.

"Know this, Koneko-Chan," He whispered. "The only reason Mylo couldn't break me—and believe me, he tried—was because I only had to think of one thing to keep me sane: you."

Ichigo turned scarlet, but smiled, blinking back tears. She leaned towards him, their lips about to meet when—

"Excuse me, can we get on with this?" Rirī asked, arms folded. "You two can make out later. Let's go get Tart and Pie now."

Kish and Ichigo both glared at her. Ichigo sighed and reached into her pocket, handing Kish his stone. He grinned.

"Battle-Form Kisshu," He said, bringing his stone above his head. "FUSION!"

Within seconds, Kish was in his fighting form, swords in hand.

"Kisshu, do you have any idea where Taruto and Pie could be?" Curry asked.

Kish shook his head.

"We were separated as we were brought in," He said. "I have as good of an idea as you do."

Just then, they heard Zakuro's voice coming over Ichigo's pendant.

"Hey, Pudding," She said. "Found something you might be interested in here on the second floor."

They heard Pudding's gasp and then…

"PUDDING'S COMING, TARU-TARU, NA NO DA!"

They could have sworn they heard the sound barrier break after that.

"So much for being quiet," Rirī muttered, rubbing one of her ears.

"Everyone meet on the second floor," Ichigo said over her pendant as her team exited the room. "We also have Kish. Lettuce, is your team any closer to finding Pie?"

"We'll get back to you on that," Lettuce said. "Rin's trying to pinpoint him, but she's having trouble, she thinks it's because he has restrictors on or something."

Ichigo frowned.

"Just give her some space, she'll find him," Ichigo said reassuringly. "Don't worry, Lettuce."

"I'm trying hard not to," Lettuce muttered. "Mew Lettuce, out."

Pudding ran into the room Zakuro, Ryou and their teammates were in. She skidded to a stop at seeing Tart standing up, rubbing his chaffed wrist as he spoke with Zakuro.

"TARU-TARU!" Pudding exclaimed, launching herself onto her boyfriend.

Tart gave a cry of surprise as Pudding wrapped herself around him, nearly sending them both to the ground until Tart caught himself and they ended up floating in midair.

"Pudding is so happy to see that Taru-Taru is alright!" Pudding said, nuzzling her head under Tart's chin.

"You should be resting," Tart said, trying to look and sound gruff as he righted himself and Pudding. "You're not fully recovered yet. You shouldn't have come out here to get me, you need to get better."

"Pudding would rather be sick again with Taru-Taru beside her than be healthy with no Taru-Taru, na no da," Pudding said, smiling up at Tart, who gave a small smile and just wrapped his arms around her tighter.

"Hey, Pudding, isn't there something you need to give Tart?" Ichigo prompted from the doorframe as Tart set Pudding on her feet.

"You're right, na no da!" Pudding said with a grin. And, with that, she firmly planted her lips on Tart's. Everyone sweat-dropped, doubly so when they realized that Pudding had just given Tart a candy drop through their kiss.

"I think Ichigo was implying for you to give Tart his stone," Ryou said, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Oh, yeah, that too, na no da!" Pudding said, her grin wider as she handed Tart his stone.

"Battle-Form Taruto," Tart said. "REVOLUTION!"

"Two down, one to go," Curry said as Rōzu, Risa and their other teammate entered.

"Pie has not been found yet?" Risa asked, her brow furrowed with worry.

"Not yet," Ichigo said. "But we think Rin's getting close."

"Rin's finally lost it," Yuzu muttered to Lettuce and Keiichiro as Rin wandered up and down the halls, muttering to herself.

"I don't want to agree, but, it is looking like that," Lettuce said softly. Keiichiro nodded.

Suddenly, Rin stood up straighter and her eyes brightened.

"This one," She said with a grin, turning to a door.

Rin opened the door and flicked on the lights. Her shoulders slumped with disappointment when she didn't see Pie, then she heard,

"I do not care who you are or what you want, if you do not turn off that light, I will kill you."

Rin grinned again.

"That's a really nice thing to say to a person who's come to bail your sorry butt out of jail," She said stepping further into the room.

Suddenly, Pie's head poked out from the corner. He looked tired and a little dazed as he blinked up at Rin with half-lidded, sleepy eyes.

"You are a far nicer sight to see than Topaz is," He said.

"Glad to hear that," Rin said, going around to help Pie off the floor and giving him a hug.

"Pie!" Lettuce exclaimed, smiling as she ran over to Pie, throwing her arms around him. He teetered slightly but quickly wrapped his arms around Lettuce, kissing the top of her head. She looked up at him and cupped his face in her hands.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly. She gently brushed her fingers over what looked to be a small burn on his forehead, and then over a bruise not too far from the burn mark.

"I am fine," Pie said, giving her a reassuring smile. "A little stiff, but that is mostly from deciding to sleep on the floor all night."

Lettuce held him to her tightly again, then stood on her toes to kiss him, slipping his stone into his hand.

"Battle-Form Pie," Pie said after Lettuce let go of him. "TRANSFORMATION!"

Pie had just finished his transformation when the others arrived and was quickly smothered in hugs from his sisters and parents.

Ichigo hung back, feeling uneasy. As she studied Kish, Pie and Tart. Pie had small burns all over his body left over from the shock torture, but Kish and Tart said that they never had torture like that, all they had was verbal torment.

So, why just Pie?

"Something's wrong," She whispered.

"What is it?" Mint asked as she and her team arrived.

"It just doesn't make sense," Ichigo said, staring to pace up and down the hall, tail and ears twitching. "This was way too easy. Mylo's got a plan, and I think getting us here is part of it. It just feels like we're missing one piece of the puzzle, one thing that explains his motives. One thing that explains what—"

"What this trap was set up for?"

They turned to see a tall Cyniclon girl about Rōzu's age, with long, straight bright red hair and glinting orange eyes standing at the end of the hall. She wore a short black skirt with black boots and a red top that showed her stomach with a black short-sleeved jacket over-top. She carried a katana sword at her side and had short military pennants floating behind her. She smirked.

"Good question, Mew Ichigo."

"Where's your other half, Pepper?" Rōzu demanded.

High pitched giggles came from the other side of the hall. There stood an identical girl who wore a short white skirt, with purple boots, a purple top that showed her stomach with a white short-sleeved jacket over-top. She too carried a sword and had short military pennants floating behind her.

"Miss us, Rosie?" The girl teased in a playful tone.

"That's like asking if I missed having the plague, Bell," Rōzu said in a bitterly sweet voice. "Where's your stupid brothers? I know they're hanging around here somewhere. They always show up right before I smack those idiotic grins off your ugly faces."

Pepper laughed and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, every opened door slammed shut.

"Our brothers are doing what they are supposed to do," Pepper said, teleporting beside her twin.

"Which is what?" A soldier demanded.

"Waiting for our signal, of course," Bell said, grinning. "Jalapeno, Cayenne, Chile, now!"

With that, the three brothers appeared, each clutching their weapons, at the end of the hall that Pepper had been only a moment previously.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered," Yuzu taunted.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Zen's voice called before he appeared in mid-air.

"'Bout time you showed up," He continued. "It was starting to get boring." He grinned. "Good thing I've got a remedy for that."

Zen snapped his fingers.

Just then, the doors slammed open again, and Mylo's soldiers came pouring out.

Vastly outnumbering the Tokyo Defenders and the other fighters.

"Well," Yuzu said with a gulp. "It seems I spoke way too soon."

"And this, Yuzu, is why you should keep your mouth shut more often," Vanilla snapped, her eyes narrowed.

Yuzu didn't argue.


	8. Chapter 8

**So... I've apparently been spelling Rōzu's name wrong for the entirity of Alien Uprising and A Change of Heart. -_-" Stupid Google Translate, trying to mislead me, telling me that the little line thingy goes over the u instead of the o!**

**Anyways... So, I've changed my schedule of posting for this week because my current 'Life' schedule has changed. So, only two updates for this week and another two updates next week. After that, my plan at this point is to do an update every two weeks. Because one of the classes I was wanting to take is going to be super-mondo expensive without my scholarship (which won't be available until fall), I'm only going to take one class that lasts only seven weeks starting the 13th. (The only reason I have changed the number of updates from 3 to 2 is because I don't know how much writing time I will have and I want to make sure I don't rush any of the chapters that would be posted during this time) I am not going to promise a certain amount of updates after that because I don't know what I'm going to have written by that point.**

**That is all from the Soccer-Geek public service announcement. Wait, hang on, I think I'm forgetting something...**

**Oh yeah! Where I am, it's April 29th, so... Happy birthday Lettuce! *blows noiseblower and passes out party hats* Now let's all sing to her! *takes deep breath* HA-**

**Lettuce: *blushes and cuts me off* Uh, Soccer-Geek, let's just let them read the story, okay? No singing...**

**Me: *sighs* Well, you're the birthday girl, so whatever you want. Enjoy the chapter, peeps!**

Chapter Eight:

"Okay," Mint said, raising her bow. "So, what now? Fight or teleport the heck out of here?"

"Oh, you should have done that while you could, little Mew."

They turned to see Mylo and Topaz standing at the end of the hall next to Zen.

"The entire city is now under lockdown. No one teleports in or out," Mylo said with a grin. "You might as well surrender now."

"Not a chance," Kish growled.

"Does this answer your question, Mint?" Ichigo asked. "Let's go!"

And so the battle was on.

Though the much smaller force quickly gained some leverage by tricking some of Mylo's warriors to get locked in the basement, they were still outnumbered as they brought their battle out into the streets of Iriomote City. They had thought that they were leading Mylo's troops into a retreat, but as soon as they were outside, they struck back with great force.

"Pie, if you have figured out how to do that transformation into the White Knight, now would be a great time!" Kish yelled over the field of battle.

"Kisshu, do you think that if I have figured it out, you would not have to tell me to do so now?" Pie demanded before yelling out his attack.

"It was more hopeful than anything else," Kish said, blocking a sword with his sais.

"This isn't going to work!" Rin called out from where she stood back-to-back with Pie.

"I hate to say I agree, but, the odds are stacked rather highly against us here." Zakuro said as she brought back her whip before calling out her attack name.

Rōzu frowned as she stabbed one of Mylo's soldiers in the shoulder and threw him off her swords. Then she caught a glimpse of a tall tower in the distance. She smiled wryly.

That tower was also one of the first things built in Iriomote City. She had been there at the dedication ceremony with her family and had walked awestruck on the grand tour along with her brothers, sisters and parents, knowing that soon she would be walking those halls every day. She hadn't wanted to leave. She loved it way too much. She wanted nothing more than to be inside that building.

And Chai-Sofu was giving her that opportunity.

Many of the students don't want to fight for Mylo, Chai had said.

But that didn't mean they didn't want to fight at all.

Rōzu nodded to herself. She knew what to do.

"I'll be back!" She called out over the noise and teleported, seeing that there were two flaws in Mylo's plan, ones she was going to take advantage of:

The fact that she could teleport within the shields and that when Mylo said he had covered the entire city, he did indeed mean the entire city.

Her feet touched ground exactly where she planned. Her eyes snapped open as hundreds of kids that were as young as her up to as old as Pie and Rin turned to stare at her. Not to mention the handful of adults.

Especially the one whose plate of breakfast she was standing on, hands on her hips, up at the high table reserved for teachers and the higher ranked students.

Once the shock had worn off, the babble had begun.

"Is that Ikisatashi Rōzu?"

"Isn't she Tart's little sister?"

"What's she doing here?"

"Oh no, not another Ikisatashi demon."

"EVERYBODY QUIET!" Rōzu yelled.

The hall was quiet again, and all staring at her. Rōzu grinned. Hopefully, this would be easy.

"Alright, everybody, let me ask you something. Who are we?" She called out. There were

confused mutters and everyone was looking at each other for the answer.

"Anyone?" Rōzu called out, gesturing with her swords to the great hall, filled with long wooden tables laden with breakfast foods.

When no one responded, Rōzu spoke again,

"Then I'll answer for you. We are Cyniclons. And we are more than that. We are warriors. We don't go down without a fight, and we don't let anyone take advantage of us, our loved ones or our home. So why the heck have none of you fought back?"

"Rōzu, have you met Bell and Pepper?" One boy Rōzu's age asked with a shudder.

They all had good reasons to be scared. The twins could create and control poisonous Chimera Animals, some so small that you wouldn't feel the sting or bite until it was too late. Very few could create let alone control Chimeras with poison, and, other than the twins, the only one who could create and control Chimeras like that was Kish. Not to mention the girls were highly skilled Pressure Fighters. They could fight hand to hand knowing every single weak point on the body, disabling their opponent or even killing them with hitting them with a certain amount of force from their fingertips.

"You know that answer, Dill," Rōzu snapped. "I know full well what Bell and Pepper are capable of. But I've never let them stop me from fighting. And I'm never going to stop fighting as long as Mylo tries to rule over all of us. Right now, there's a battle going on that may end Mylo's reign. We won't have to fear him or Topaz, or Cayenne, Bell and Pepper, or anyone. We can govern ourselves, we can enjoy what the Mew Aqua has given us and we can train our next generation of warriors to defend our planet.

"So, my fellow Cyniclon warriors, I call for you to take up arms against Mylo! This is the day that he will be overthrown! We will reclaim our planet! Who's with me?"

A giant cheer went up through the room.

"You seriously think that's going to do it? An army full of children?"

Bell and Pepper teleported side by side into the air above Rōzu, each with their arms folded over their chests.

"Mylo's too strong," Bell said. "So you might as well give up."

"If Mylo was strong, there wouldn't be a battle, he'd have Earth by now," Rōzu snapped, glaring up at the twins.

"What, you think that's all because of you, Rosie?" Pepper said. "I bet you've never set foot in battle before now. Your brothers and sisters baby you too much."

"They do not," Rōzu growled.

"Yeah, they do," Bell and Pepper said in unison.

"Look, Mylo's got all the right ideas," Pepper said, turning to address the crowd of watching students and faculty before turning back to the fuming Rōzu, whom she gave a condescending glare. "Plus he's got a far stronger army than the rebels. Your side is weak, Rōzu. You're vastly outnumbered. Kisshu and Pie can't stand to fight much longer, neither can Mew Pudding. They're getting weaker every second they fight and they know it. Then you've got two humans that have never fought before. You're desperate. You're losing. The only thing you can hope for now is a swift execution, as do any of you who fight with her."

Rōzu flew up a few yards away from the twins, her eyes full of fire. She banished her Rose Thorns, but kept her arms crossed at the wrists.

"Then so be it! I'd rather die than live with Mylo as my leader! He's sick, twisted and he's done more than enough harm to my family and to my planet! I just hope that if I go out in this battle, I take him out with me so that no one else has to live under his treachery! This. Ends. NOW!" She yelled, yanking her arms apart to form a fireball.

Bell and Pepper's eyes widened as the large ball of fire headed straight for them. Bell screamed and Pepper cursed as they quickly flew out of the way.

Bell stared at the large charred spot on the stone wall where Rōzu's fireball had crashed, but quickly regained her composure.

"Anyone who fights for Mylo will be greatly rewarded!" She called out. No one moved.

"And anyone who fights for the freedom of Cynnth will be able to have a long, happy life, prosper, and know that we were saved from a horrible fate," Rōzu called. "Are you ready to fight for your freedom?"

The crowd roared in cheers, summoning their weapons as they climbed to their feet. Rōzu smiled as Bell and Pepper fumed.

"I hope to see you back on the battlefield, skewered on my sword, Rōzu!" Pepper cried out before she and her twin teleported away.

"Right back at ya, Pep," Rōzu said with a grin. She turned to her army. "Alright, guys, let's hit it!"

Needless to say, everyone was very surprised when the entire student body of the Cynnth Military Academy came pouring into the streets, attacking Mylo's troops with a fury, Rōzu at the lead.

"Rōzu has her own chibi army," Yuzu said in amazement.

"Pudding wants a chibi army of her own, na no da!" Pudding said in a jealous whine.

"But, you do," Lettuce said.

"Huh?" Pudding said, clearly confused.

"We've seen how you've got your siblings trained," Ryou said. "They're your own personal munchkin task force."

"Huh, Pudding has her own chibi task force," Pudding said, her face, voice and eyes blank as she processed this. Then a sly grin formed. "Pudding can start her own bounty hunting team, na no da!"

The others sweat-dropped.

"Let's… just get back to the battle at hand," Ichigo said.

"Agreed," Risa said, raising her bow and letting go of an arrow, smiling when it hit a soldier about to attack a little girl from behind.

"Your mom, by the way," Mint said to the Ikisatashi siblings. "Is awesome."

"We know," Rirī said proudly as she ran after her mother to join the other archers who had just joined the battle.

Vanilla was preparing to take off flying when Yuzu grabbed her and pulled her down.

"What do you want, Yuzu?" Vanilla demanded.

Yuzu responded with pressing his lips to Vanilla's, who's eyes widened in surprise before closing and throwing her arms around Yuzu's neck to kiss him back. When they broke off, Yuzu grinned,

"You know, just in case we don't make it," He said sheepishly.

Vanilla's eyes twinkled as she smiled.

"Well, now, after a kiss like that, we cannot let that happen, now can we?" She said as she took his hand, pulling him off into the fray.

"Bell, Pepper, where did all these kids come from?" Chile demanded of his disgruntled sisters who teleported beside him.

Pepper sneered.

"Ikisatashi…" She growled like it was a curse word.

"No matter," Mylo said calmly as he surveyed the battle. "We will fight regardless. Even when all hope looks lost, we will prevail."

"Hai, Mylo-Sama," they said together.

"Think this is going to work?" Zen asked Cayenne in a low voice. Cayenne looked over at Mylo, and shook his head.

"I have no idea, kid," He said.

Zen looked over the battlefield, frowning when he saw Rirī. She happened to glance over at him; their eyes met before she suddenly turned away. He swallowed hard.

If they won, she would be executed.

He had never wanted to lose a battle so much.

And as those in Mylo's inner circle—Topaz, Jalapeno, Cayenne, Zen, Chile, Bell and Pepper—watched, the more they wondered if Mylo was wanting to loose, too, as he engaged in battle specifically with the warriors of the Tokyo Defenders so that he was battling them all at once.

Mylo fell to the ground and he was instantly surrounded by the warriors, all aiming their weapons at him.

His troops were practically gone. Some wounded, some captured, some retreated, some turned traitor. He had let himself be outnumbered. He was surrounded.

It was all over.

Or, at least, it would have been.

Ichigo panted as she watched Mylo get onto all fours. Then, he grinned and began to chuckle, like this was all a big joke.

Ichigo tore her eyes away from Mylo, and her eyes widened when she saw where they were.

She snarled and grabbed Mylo's fallen sword. She leapt through the air and threw Mylo onto his back, putting her boot on his chest and the tip of the sword over his heart.

"Ichigo! What are you-?" Mint started, but one glare from Ichigo cut her off. Ichigo knelt down some, her pink eyes still hard as she looked into the twin, black abysses that were Mylo's eyes.

"The only reason why I haven't put this through your heart yet," She said in a low whisper, but everyone was listening intently. "Is because I want an explanation, and I want it now.

What do you want with the Mew Aqua?"

* * *

**Please no complaints about a cliffie. For once I know when the next chapter will be posted and you only have to wait a few days instead of a few weeks.**


	9. Chapter 9

**There's a song that I think goes really well with this chapter starting at a certain point. The song is called "Uprising" by Muse, and is kind of the theme song for the entire trilogy (No, I did not name Alien Uprising for this song; though the song had been out for a while before I started writing the story, I only heard the song for the first time a few months after posting the first chapter). If you care to listen to the song while you read, the point where I think the song needs to be started is marked by this: # **

**Anywho... ON WITH THE SHOW!**

Chapter Nine:

Mylo continued to laugh.

"Tell me, Mew Ichigo, what exactly am I to be explaining?" He said patronizingly.

"Cut the garbage, Mylo!" Ichigo snapped, standing up straighter. "This was all a set-up! You lured us here for a reason!"

"Oh? Did I?" Mylo asked innocently.

"DON'T DENY IT!" Ichigo screamed. "You put a poison on your knife. You forced Kish to retreat to Earth when you wounded him. You got Pudding by mistake, you were aiming for Tart, and you weren't even truly aiming to kill him. That plant Chimera you made the night before the Autumnal Equinox made a grab for all of us, but it never even once looked at Pie, because you told it not to get him. And then you stabbed him so that you could test the reaction you got from Rin. You destroyed the medpod and most of the ship, but left the engine largely intact and easily fixable.

"You knew no one had ever seen the type of poison you used on the knife before. You knew we would come here to Cynnth to heal them. You knew we would have no other choice, because you're the one who made it that way. You were waiting for us here. You found a way to remove the Mew Aqua and started siphoning it off when you arrived, that's why the weather's been acting crazy. You didn't even have Topaz search the house for the rest of us, you told her to be content with just Kish, Pie and Tart, knowing they would give themselves up to protect the rest of us. Then, once you had them captured, you tortured Pie knowing full well that Rin could feel the pain he was in so that we would rescue them faster, not knowing if we would retreat to Earth or not. You turned the hospital into a prison, because the location was perfect for your plan. And then you led the battle out here. To this spot. And for what? What do you want with the Mew Aqua?"

That was when the other fighters saw where they were.

They were next to the Mew Aqua Tree. It was a large, beautiful tree, with huge, luscious leaves that were light green, dark green, blue, golden orange, red, dark purple, indigo and hot pink.

And they knew instantly that this tree and everything it represented was in danger.

"Is she right?"

They saw Topaz approach. She was bleeding from a wound on her temple and her hair was disheveled, but otherwise she looked perfect.

"This was all a set up?" She asked, confused. Zen, Chile, Cayenne, Jalapeno, Bell and Pepper all stared at Mylo too, looking for an answer.

Mylo smiled.

"Yes," He said. "And my ingenious plan has been a success. You are all here to see me seize the ultimate weapon, the one I shall capture Earth with! You see, I was never interested in Cynnth. It was Earth I was after all along. It is much bigger than Cynnth, and within it contains everything I need to maintain power."

"What are you talking about?" Ryou said, his brow furrowed.

Mylo chuckled.

"Oh, I'm not telling," He said, still grinning like a mad-man. "But what I will tell you is this: the Cyniclons were meant to rule the Earth. And that is what we will do. And I will see to the death of every single human, and personally kill any being—human or Cyniclon—who gets in my way."

"We will not allow you to commit genocide!" Pie growled.

"Good thing I'm not looking for permission then," Mylo said tauntingly. "Earth will be in my power, and the Mew Aqua is the first step to gaining this power!"

He suddenly teleported and appeared standing in front of the Mew Aqua Tree.

Mylo put his hands in the air.

"Mew Aqua, emerge from the ground and embrace your new master!" He cried.

Dark clouds filled the sky as it began to snow harder. Around them, trees were losing their color and dying, the air becoming thicker. The Mew Aqua Tree began to wither.

"No!" Kish yelled. He tried to run over and stop Mylo, but was thrown back by a shield. Picking himself up off the ground, he yelled at Mylo, "If you take the Mew Aqua away, the planet will revert to how it was before!"

"Like I care," Mylo snapped as the Mew Aqua came to his hands. "The Cyniclons shall soon have Earth. We will no longer have a need for this rock."

Suddenly, something pink hit Mylo's arm, causing him to drop some of the Mew Aqua. It sank back into the ground as more came up.

Ichigo caught her Strawberry Bell with a glare at Mylo, knowing she had his attention. The others barely had time to wonder how her Strawberry Bell had penetrated the shield when they noticed that something wasn't right with the Mew Mews.

"How self-centered can you possibly be?" Zakuro asked as the Mews stepped forward. As she spoke, her eyes began to glow neon purple. But her voice… it wasn't Zakuro's voice. It sounded like her, but at the same time it wasn't. Her lips and words out of synch. Like they weren't really coming from her mouth. "To take away from your own people what they have desired for many generations? A planet where they do not need to fear their own home?"

"Is it really worth it?" Pudding asked, her eyes glowing an eerie yet warm orange-yellow. Like with Zakuro, it didn't sound like Pudding was the one talking. Her voice was cold, emotionless, almost robotic and yet silky at the same time. "To cause so much pain? And for what? A planet that was once as beautiful as this one, inhabited by millions of men, women and children that you plan to exterminate without batting an eyelash?"

"You are treacherous," Lettuce hissed, her lip curling in disgust, her eyes glowing lime green. "To betray your own people. You accuse humans of being monsters, yet here you are: willing to sacrifice everything your people have gained just so your own selfish desires can be fulfilled."

"And that," Mint said, her eyes glowing blue. "Is unforgivable. For these actions you have willingly taken, you will pay dearly."

"For the future of the humans of Earth and the Cyniclons of Cynnth, we are at your service," Ichigo said flatly, her eyes glowing hot pink.

While speaking, Mint, Pudding, Lettuce and Zakuro had moved to stand in a square, with Ichigo at the center, their glowing weapons clutched in their hands. They were all staring at Mylo with their glowing eyes. All was silent, then…

"Mew Mew Lorikeet." Mint said, raising her chin.

"Mew Mew Porpoise." Lettuce said, tilting her head to the side.

"Mew Mew Tamarin." Pudding said, a small grin gracing her face.

"Mew Mew Wolf." Zakuro said, her eyes narrowing.

"Mew Mew Iriomote…" Ichigo said, then together they cried:

"ULTIMATE METAMORPHO-SIS!"

#

Each girl was suddenly submerged in bright light, each a different color.

Mint emerged first from the blue light she had been surrounded by.

Instead of her normal Mew Mint outfit, she was wearing a pale blue ballet costume with a knee-length skirt that had a layer of light blue glittery tulle overtop with several dark blue pieces shaped like feathers on top of that. The tight bodice had her Mew Mark embroidered in silver over her chest. Her hair was down, and atop her head was a crown of beautiful dark blue feathers and sapphires. She wore dark blue pointe shoes, with blue and silver ribbons crisscrossing up her legs. The ballet costume was backless, and Mint's wings had grown larger, the tail feathers longer, almost like she was now a bird-like fairy. Her eyes were black and beady, like a bird's. She went into _en pointe_ on her left leg, putting the toe of the right foot at her knee in an _attitude_ position, one arm above her head while the other she held out in front of her.

Lettuce emerged next from the bright green light. She wore a strapless lime-green dress with a ruffled skirt. The skirt was hiked up to just above her knee on her right leg, and held in place by a large silver pin that was a copy of her Mew Mark. She wore pale green stiletto heels, the ribbons from her hair curling around her. Her long, wavy hair was down and had pale-green pearls entwined in it, parted to the left, with a white rose pinned behind her ear. Her eyes were soft, but black. She stomped her feet and clapped as usual, but as a finishing pose, she put both arms in the air, carefully folded at the elbows, the wrists twisted just so.

Pudding came out of the orange-yellow light wearing a mischievous grin and a knee-high strapless yellow dress with a tiered skirt. The bottom tier of the skirt was pale yellow, and every tier above it got darker until it reached the golden orange bodice. She wore heeled, knee-high orange boots and yellow fingerless elbow-length gloves. On the back of the hand of each glove was a copy of her Mew Mark embroidered in silver. Her hair was down and she wore a yellow-gemstone-encrusted silver headband. Her eyes were now a brown-sugar color. She did a front flip and landed with her hands on her hips, her tail curled behind her.

Zakuro left the purple light wearing a dark purple strapless dress that looked to be made of soft leather and left her stomach bare, with long strips of leather at the sides connecting the skirt and bodice. The skirt was triangular in shape and cut of just at her knees. The skirt was frayed and had silver beads tied into the frays. Her Mew Mark, embroidered in silver, was on the front of the skirt. She wore dark purple knee-high boots that also looked like they were made of leather. Her loose hair was wavy and she wore a brown leather headband with silver beaded wolfs running along it with purple stones placed at intervals that was wrapped around her head, seen underneath her bangs. They saw that her eyes had become a pale yellow. She flipped back her hair before crouching down into an attack position, her tail and ears high, her lip curling so that they could see long fangs.

Ichigo emerged last from the pink light, and Kish sucked in his breath, taken aback by her new look.

She wore a hot pink dress with long, flowing sleeves that went to her wrists and had her Mew Mark embroidered in silver on the front of the bodice. The skirt was actually two skirts. One was hot pink, knee-length, straight and connected to the bodice, while the other one was similar to a hoop skirt and appeared to just be connected to the entirety of the dress at the hips. The glittery, dark pink fabric had a been cut so that there was a window where you could see the inner skirt, and yet it somehow kept its shape without a frame. She also wore heeled dark pink boots. She wore a silver ringlet with a pale-pink heart shaped diamond resting against her forehead. Her tail flicked behind her. The ribbon was the same color as her underskirt and the bell had become pure diamond, glinting in what little light there was. Her eyes were cat-like and a pale gold color.

Ichigo smiled, but it wasn't exactly her smile. It was more mature, more knowing.

"Strawberry Heart," She called, and her bell came to her hand. But it wasn't the same Strawberry Bell. It was sparkly, and the gem was bigger and brighter.

"Mint_ Grande Jatte_," Mint called. A large wooden dark blue bow appeared in her hand, the bowstring a shimmering silver and wings like that of Mint's Mew Mark carved into the wood. Accompanying the bow was a quiver of pale blue arrows with dark blue fletches.

"Lettuce Tambourine," Lettuce called out. A tambourine with dark green wood, pale green paper with her Mew Mark painted on it and golden zils.

"Pudding Rings of Fire!" Pudding cried out. Her rings appeared in her hands, but they weren't exactly like her rings. They were bigger, and looked more like throwing disks with sharp edges where the bells had been.

"Zakuro Spirit Spear!" Zakuro cried. Instead of her whip, a cross-shaped spear appeared in her hand, but it still had the curling whip emerging from the end.

"Huh, that's cool," Yuzu said, grinning. "So, how long have they been doing that?"

He turned to his friends and his brow furrowed at seeing the Ikisatashi siblings, Ryou and Keiichiro gaping, their eyes wide with shock.

"Um," Vanilla said hesitantly. "They have not done this before, have they?"

"No," Tart said, shaking his head slightly. "No, no, they haven't."

"Ah." Vanilla said, biting her lip and turning back to the Mews.

"Um, Topaz?" Chile muttered quietly to the older girl. "What do we do now?"

Topaz looked over at the Mews, who were slowly making their way towards Mylo. She bit the inside of her lip; they would kill Mylo if she didn't think of something quick…

"Chimeras," She said in a breath, looking around what was left of her army (which at that point was just Jalapeno, Cayenne, Chile, Bell, Pepper and Zen) and yelled, "Everyone, make a Chimera, now!"

They did as they were told, and quickly large Chimera Animals littered the streets.

Zakuro's eyes narrowed and she looked over her shoulder.

"Ribbon Zakuro Tail-Whip!" She yelled out, lashing out at one of the Chimeras, the whip curling around the entirety of the beast. With a howl, it fell.

"Did… did she just…?" Rin struggled to get out.

Pudding did a high flip backwards over another Chimera, her eyes twinkling, her Mew Mark gleaming.

"Ribbon Pudding Fire-Screech!" She yelled. Instead of the regular Ribbon Pudding Inferno, a line of fire emerged from her rings, hitting the monster. The Chimera tried to recover, but Pudding launched one of her rings like a Frisbee, the sharp rings on the side hitting the monster, causing it to be destroyed.

Pudding grinned as she caught her ring in her hand, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Pu-Pudding?" Tart whispered in shock, blinking a few times.

Lettuce raised her tambourine. She twirled on her toes, lifting the tambourine high in the air before bring it sharply down, yelling,

"Ribbon Lettuce Tidal-Fins!"

Another Chimera bit the dust as it was hit with a tsunami from Lettuce's tambourine.

Topaz's eye twitched. Her human competition had just destroyed her Chimera.

_Oooh,_ Topaz thought with anger as she glared across the battlefield at Lettuce. _You are so going down._

Meanwhile, Pie could only gape as Lettuce smiled at her work, reaching back to put her hair behind her ear.

"Ryou, what is going on?" Pie managed to get out, but Ryou either did not hear him or was ignoring him.

Mint twirled, skirt flaring as she flawlessly managed to dance, pluck an arrow from her quiver, and draw the arrow back in a matter of seconds.

"Ribbon Mint Light-Wings!" Mint yelled, releasing her arrow. It struck a Chimera with a burst of blue light, causing it to disintegrate.

"Ryou…" Rirī said in a low voice, turning to her friend, who watched the battle, transfixed and scowling.

Ichigo smiled up at the three remaining Chimeras. She raised her bell over her head, clutching it with both hands.

"Ribbon Strawberry Sinking-Claws!" She yelled.

Ichigo suddenly dropped to her knees, the bell hitting the cold ground. To everyone's surprise, the ground split open from where her bell hit, and swallowed up the three Chimeras. The ground then reformed, leaving no trace of damage at all.

"Ryou! What is going on?" Kish demanded, his eyes hard.

"Ryou," Keiichiro said, more gently. "Do you know what's going on? What's happening with the girls?"

Ryou chuckled darkly as he turned to face his friends, meeting Keiichiro's eyes.

"Isn't it obvious, Keiichiro?" Ryou said. He made a sweeping gesture with his arm to the direction of the five girls. "We no longer have any sort of control over the Mew Project."

Keiichiro sighed with frustration, his eyes closed as he banged his fist against his forehead in agitation.

"Then what do we do now?" Rōzu asked, her eyes wide as she looked up at her older friends and siblings.

"We sit back and watch the show," Ryou said, turning back to the Mews, ganging up on Mylo again now that the Chimeras were taken care of.

"Ultimate Mew Power Extension!" Ichigo cried out, the Mews forming around her, holding up their glowing weapons. Beams of light came from each one: blue from Mint, green from Lettuce, yellow-orange from Pudding and purple from Zakuro.

Ichigo held up her arm, her wrist twisted and her fingers slightly curled.

"Mew Element Rod!" She called out. They watched as the Mew Aqua Rod appeared in her hand.

She glared at Mylo, who glared back.

"Who planted these poisonous seeds into your mind, Mylo?" She asked sadly. "Why must you do this? Your master will grant you nothing more than a swift and painless death."

"You know nothing, human!" Mylo roared.

Ichigo smiled again.

"How wrong you are," She said. A beam of pink light shot up from around her as she lifted her rod, yelling, "Mew Aqua, Advance!"

Suddenly, all the Mew Aqua went straight to Ichigo's Mew Aqua Rod. Mylo made furious and fruitless grabs at it. He sneered at Ichigo.

"There's plenty more where that came from," He snapped.

"And you will have none of it," Ichigo responded coolly.

Mylo's sneer became a smile.

"Who needs water when you can play with fire, among other things?" He asked. He teleported away, and Topaz quickly gathered the others to follow.

"Topaz," Cayenne said softly, grabbing her shoulder before going through the portal after his brothers and sisters. "Do you trust what Mylo is doing? Should we really be following him? Is this right?"

Topaz hesitated, biting her lip.

"I want to hear what he has to say," She said at last. "Then we'll make our decisions."

Cayenne glared at her.

"He lied to us," He reminded her. Topaz gazed past Cayenne over at Pie, who couldn't take his eyes off Lettuce. Even though he was far away, she could still make out the burn marks on his skin. The burn marks she had put there. Because Mylo had lied to her and told her that everything would be alright if she just administered the shock treatment. That he would see that he truly loved her, as soon as the shock cleared the fog. She swallowed hard, avoiding Cayenne's gaze.

"Mylo has his reasons for everything," Topaz muttered, deciding to keep having faith in her cousin. "These Mews were just a setback."

She went through the portal. With a sigh, Cayenne jumped in after her before it could close.

Her Rod glowing, Ichigo pointed it at the Mew Aqua Tree and cried out as she made a circular motion with the rod,

"Ribbon Aqua Restoration!"

The Mew Aqua shot straight out of the Rod and into the tree. Instantly, it became restored, the colors just as vibrant as before. The snow lightened and the clouds drifted away, the sun shining in its place.

Ichigo lowered her arm and smiled as the bitter cold became warmer and the air became easier to breathe.

Ichigo then looked down at her Rod and sighed, seeing that it was now empty. All that remained in the middle was a small pink crystal heart. She turned to her four other Mews, who stood behind her, waiting for her orders.

"It is time, my sisters, for you to find your elements, and I pray that you do so before Mylo does," She said. "Only then can we reach our full potential. It is the only way we will defeat Mylo to protect Earth and Cynnth."

Mint, Lettuce, Pudding and Zakuro all bowed.

"Hai, Hime," They said in unison.

When they were upright again, each girl reverted back to their original Mew form. Almost instantly, they all collapsed, unconscious. Pie, Kish, Tart, Yuzu and Curry teleported just in time to each catch a Mew. Curry carefully transferred Zakuro into Ryou's arms and watched as the young man stared down at her with wonder.

"Ryou," Curry said in a low voice. "You truly have no idea as to what just happened?"

"I wish I did," Ryou said, looking up. "If not for me, for them."

They had won the battle. They had reclaimed Cynnth. The Cyniclons had regained their freedom from Mylo.

Now they just wanted to know _how_ they had done so.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Topaz allowed Jalapeno to help her to her feet as she landed in the fourth dimension she had brought them to. She saw Mylo, standing far off, not facing any of them.

"Start talking, Mylo," Topaz demanded.

Mylo looked over his shoulder and smiled at Topaz.

"I know how to claim Earth for the Cyniclons," He said. Topaz frowned.

"Mylo, you're not making sense," She said. "If the Mew Aqua doesn't work-"

"That's where you're wrong, my dear cousin," Mylo said. He held up a small vial containing a small crystal orb. "The Mew Aqua does work, too well if you must know."

Topaz blinked and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her companions exchange glances.

"But… but you found that there was something wrong with it… that the effects would fail," Topaz stuttered out.

"I was mistaken," Mylo said simply. "Even I can be wrong sometimes."

"So then why are we fighting for Earth when we can have Cynnth?" Zen demanded, coming to stand beside Topaz. "You've seen Earth. It's awful compared to how Cynnth is now."

"It may be awful, but it still contains valuable resources that will make the Cyniclons the most powerful race in the universe," Mylo said. He tilted the vial of Mew Aqua. "There is more of this on Earth. As well as three other similar substances. I have found that while it is extremely beneficial, these substances are extremely powerful weapons. However, the Mews new abilities is a setback. A minor setback, though. Our goal is still obtainable."

"That's great and all," Cayenne said harshly, crossing his arms. "But you still haven't answered the question. Why not just take these mysterious substances of yours and then use them on Cynnth like the Mew Aqua?"

Mylo smiled knowingly as he turned around.

"We will capture Earth, because it is what Deep Blue-Sama has asked us to do." He said softly.

Mylo's smile grew as he watched as their eyes widened.

"Deep Blue-Sama?" Bell whispered.

"But… but those Mews and the Ikisatashi boys killed him, didn't they?" Pepper said, blinking.

"They only thought they did," Mylo said. "_I_ only thought they did, until he came to me. But Deep Blue has been hiding, gathering strength and plotting revenge. These substances will make him even more powerful than before, and he will rule over not only Earth, but all of the universe. And we are the only ones who can find these items for him to gain full power."

Mylo looked at each member of the group.

"So," He said. "Are you going to fight for your master? Or will you become traitors like the Ikisatashis?"

No one moved. No one spoke. Mylo grinned.

"We'll take a few days off. Take some time to rest and recover from battle, you've earned it," He said, turning to fly off. "Besides. We are going to need our strength to take over Earth."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

Having reclaimed Iriomote City, the Cyniclons quickly recovered from Mylo and Topaz's rule and restored the 'prison' for its intended purpose.

The first patients of the newly reopened hospital were Pie, Kish, Pudding and the other soldiers who were injured in the battle. They were placed in medpods in order to finish healing, and were completely better by that evening. There had been some initial hesitation of putting Pudding into a medpod as the treatment had never been used on a human before, but Pudding said that she was willing to see if the experiment worked. They all breathed a sigh of relief when the treatment was completed and a success, especially Tart who, upon Pudding being taken out of the medpod, refused to let her out of his sight.

"So, you girls seriously don't remember anything?" Ryou asked from where he stood against the wall with Zakuro. They were all in the medpod recovery room, where Pudding, Kish and Pie would be staying the night.

"No, nothing," Ichigo said from where she sat, nestled into Kish, who held her tightly to him, his arm around her waist.

"It's weird that we don't remember, na no da," Pudding said, tapping her chin as she stared down at the blankets that covered her folded legs.

"Has anything like this happened before?" Curry asked as he bounced Asagao on his knee.

"No, and I'll tell you why," Kish said. "If any one of them had a transformation like that when Pie, Tart and I were fighting them, we would have seriously considered surrendering."

"Yeah," Tart said instantly while Pie nodded solemnly.

"Was it that bad?" Lettuce asked, looking a little concerned.

"It was kinda scary," Rōzu admitted.

"Especially when we realized that neither Ryou nor Keiichiro knew what was going on," Pie said, pulling Lettuce to him and kissing the top of her head in a reassuring manner.

"We could do nothing to help you, and had no clue what was happening," Keiichiro said. "All we could do was stand back and watch."

"You said that Ichigo told us that it was time to find our own elements?" Zakuro said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make any sense," Ryou said. He frowned. "There was something different about the Mew Aqua Rod. But I can't figure it out."

"Ichigo said something different than she usually does when she uses the Mew Aqua Rod," Tart said.

"I… I believe she called it something different as well," Vanilla said softly.

They all turned to the Cyniclon girl, who stared at the wall, deep in thought.

"You keep referring to it as 'Mew Aqua Rod', but that is not what Ichigo called it," She said. "I believe she referred to it as 'Mew Element Rod'."

"I don't think there's anything we can do to sort this out until we get back to Earth," Rin said. "That's where Mylo is headed. Henceforth, that's where our answers will be."

"Rin's right," Yuzu said, suddenly teleporting behind her chair and wrapping his arms around her neck, grinning. "Besides, if I'm not mistaken, Rinny-Chan—and for once I don't think I am—you and Pie had a birthday last month while on Earth."

"Congratulations, Yuzu," Rin said sardonically. "After knowing us for fifteen years, you finally have learned when our birthday is without Vanilla having to remind you."

"Ah, but I remembered this one, because it's a very _special _birthday," Yuzu said, his grin getting wider. "Your twentieth. Which means that you two have something important to do before you can go anywhere."

Pie and Rin both paled.

"We do not _have_ to," Pie argued. "We are still technically on active military duty."

"Uh uh uh, Pie-Chan," Yuzu said, wagging a finger at his friend, his eyes glinting. "The rule is that you if you are on active _off-planet_ military duty or are with child, you participate in the next available Ceremony following either a return to Cynnth or after the birth of child depending on the situation. You're both here, and unless there's something Rin would like to say after hiding Keiichiro away in a place her father can't get to him to kill him, you are both eligible to be in the ceremony."

"Which happens to be tomorrow," Risa said, trying and failing to look innocent, a smile tugging her lips.

"Not helping, mother," Rin hissed.

"Well, for once, Yuzu is not wrong," Vanilla said. "Besides, you would have to take part in the Ceremony eventually."

"And you guys can stop acting like it's the end of the world," Rirī chided.

"Remind me to tell you that on your twentieth," Rin grumbled.

"What, don't tell me you two are scared of a little ceremonial ritual," Kish teased.

Pie and Rin groaned in unison.

"There is no way we are getting out of this, is there?" Pie asked.

"No, you are not," The Cyniclons said together, grinning.

The humans, however, were more confused than ever.

The next morning, Kish and Rirī gave an explanation while they waited anxiously in front of a stage in the center of Iriomote City. There were tons of Cyniclons, all chatting and excited. Everyone was dressed formally, the girls in dresses and the men in their best clothes. Kish and Tart—like some others around them—wore their military dress uniforms, which consisted of a long-sleeved white shirt with two rows of black buttons on the front and a high collar, black trousers and shiny black shoes. Their pennants hung around their legs and Kish's collar had two stars on either side of his throat.

"When a Cyniclon reaches twenty years of age, they have reached adulthood," Rirī said as she adjusted Asagao on her hip while her parents spoke with Curry's sister and her husband. "This is seen as a major accomplishment, as it indicates that they have survived childhood. However, there is still one more trial before one can be truly considered an adult."

"Which is what?" Keiichiro asked.

"The Coming-Of-Age Ceremony is the first time a Cyniclon is allowed to have an alcoholic beverage," Kish said. "And it's a pretty special drink. It consists of four parts, each representing an element that our ancestors were tasked with protecting."

"They need to be able to drink it all in one gulp," Yuzu said. "If they don't, it is a shame to the family and they aren't considered capable of the duties that comes with adulthood."

"But before they are allowed to drink, they all have to pick an element as their own to protect," Vanilla said. "Then, they also say what profession they will choose. The most common profession is military service, with the second most being Healing."

"They come out onto the stage wearing clothes made out of plain white linen," Risa said as she took Asagao from Rirī. "Then, once they have partaken of the drink, their clothes will transform to match their profession. For example, when I chose to be a Healer at my Ceremony, my clothes transformed into the gray dress that represents that I am a fully-trained Healer."

"Alright, makes sense," Ichigo said. She then bit the inside of her lip and turned back to her Cyniclon friends. "Um, just out of curiosity, what happens if Pie and Rin don't pass?"

"Well, usually whoever doesn't pass gets sent into exile for five years," Kish said, suddenly not meeting anyone's gaze. "They're forbidden to have any contact with family, forbidden to take up arms, and not permitted to marry or have any children after the exile."

"Lovely," Mint said, biting her lip.

"Yeah, so let's hope Pie and Rin pass," Tart said, turning his attention to the stage. "But don't worry, it's really rare that someone doesn't."

Chai stood on the stage and welcomed the families and friends and then began to call the people in the ceremony onto the stage. Everyone in the audience was deadly quiet as they watched as their sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, friends, husbands and wives, (and in the case of some infants and toddlers) fathers and mothers come onto the stage, all looking nervous. The girls wore ankle-length long-sleeved dresses while the boys wore long pants and long-sleeved shirts. They all had bare feet.

Pie and Rin stood next to each other, glancing at each other occasionally. It was clear to everyone who knew them that they were talking with each other mentally, possibly trying to calm and reassure the other. Finally, Rin subtly moved her hand to grab Pie's, giving it a quick squeeze before they watched the ceremonial drinks be fixed.

"Each ingredient represents a different element," Kish whispered as each of the glasses were filled with a clear liquid. "The standard white wine represents air."

Next, drops of blue liquid were added until there was a ring of dark blue at the top of the liquid.

"The blue dye represents water," Kish continued.

Each glass then had a small seed dropped into them. The seed floated in the middle of the glass.

"The seeds represent earth," Kish said softly. "And as for fire."

Everyone jumped as suddenly each glass was had a bright blue and orange flame resting at the top of the liquid. Those standing on the stage had wide eyes. A few gulped.

"Well," Kish said. "That one is self-explanatory."

"That's the part that makes this a challenge," Rirī said softly.

The glasses were passed out, and each person held it in both hands, near their chest, waiting for their turn to pick their element and choose their profession.

Finally, Chai called,

"Ikisatashi Pie."

Pie took a deep breath and took a step forward.

"The element I will guard and protect for the rest of my days will be air," He said, his voice and face the same calm he wished his heart would be. "As for my profession, though I will always be a warrior at heart, I choose to serve my people as a scientist, so that we may further understand our new world. However, I will also continue to be a fighter and protect my home and people on a second's notice. At this point in time, I will not resign my commission, but I have plans to do so."

Without another word, Pie took a step back. Rin took a few deep breaths as Chai called,

"Ikisatashi Rindou."

Rin stepped forward.

"The element I will guard and protect for the rest of my days will be air," She said.

No one was surprised. Not only were Pie and Rin so alike in thought, but they also both used wind in how they fought, and the fact that they used fans to do so represented that.

"As for my profession…" Rin said. She took another calming breath. "I can't say I'm a warrior at heart like my twin is. That is where we differ. While, yes, I certainly am a fighter, military life is not for me. Therefore, my profession is to be an artist. Not only does my art bring joy and peace to my heart, I have seen how my masterpieces have brought joy to others. However, I will respond when I hear the call to battle and will fight tooth and claw for my people and my planet. Just not with a military title in front of my name. Therefore, I hereby resign my commission as Major."

Rin took a step back beside Pie. She turned to him and smiled. To her surprise and happiness, he smiled back at her.

The twins waited in line for the others to finish. Then, at last, Chai said,

"Drink and partake of your element."

Pie and Rin raised their glasses, gently clinking them together before consuming the fiery liquid. As soon as the glasses were drained, a wind appeared and wrapped around them and all those who also chose air. The ones who chose water had a wave surrounding them, while those who chose fire were engulfed in harmless flames and those who chose earth were wrapped up in leaves, sticks and grass.

The elements left. Only the newly-official adults remained. Pie and Rin looked at each other. They were both in their Battle-Forms.

Pie's pennants hung around his ankles.

Rin no longer had any.

"Now, na no da?" Pudding whispered.

"Now," Her Cyniclon friends said and the crowd erupted into cheers.

Rin threw her arms around her twin's neck, letting tears of relief go down her cheeks.

"We did it, Pie-Chan," She whispered.

"Yes, Rin-Chan, we did," Pie said, hugging his sister tightly.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

The following morning, there was a large group waiting to see the Tokyo Defenders off as they headed back to Earth. Chai had surprised them by having the ship fully repaired, including the installation of a new medpod. They were amazed that it could all be fixed in a short amount of time, and were extremely grateful.

Though they would all miss Cynnth and their friends and family there, they were also eager to get back to Earth and be ready for Mylo's next attack.

However…

Rōzu smiled as she gave final hugs to her friends, while older students from the Military Academy also surrounded her, thanking her for reminding them of their duty and calling them to battle.

"You're a natural leader," One older boy with yellow hair said.

"Yeah, you'd rise through the ranks in no time," A girl from Rōzu's year with red hair in a bun said.

"Not to mention you're an amazing fighter," An older girl with long pale-pink hair said with a smile.

"Rōzu."

Rōzu turned to look at Chai, who beckoned her forward.

"Have you made your decision?" He asked. Rōzu's brow furrowed.

"I don't have to be a spy anymore," She said. "Mylo's out of power, and so is everyone else who controlled the planet in his name."

"You were going to be a spy?"

Rōzu looked over her shoulder at her confused teammates and siblings. Rōzu turned red, forgetting that she hadn't told them.

"I hadn't made my decision yet," She said softly.

"No, you would not go as a spy," Chai said. Rōzu looked up at him again. "You can attend the Military Academy under your own name, with your own scores."

The other students of the Academy liked this and all started encouraging her to attend. The teachers, standing nearby, all looked horrified and groaned at the prospect of yet another Ikisatashi in their classes.

Rōzu blinked. Attend the Academy… and as herself? Achieve her dream…

But…

Rōzu turned to look over her shoulder.

There was Kish, who had his arm around Ichigo's waist. Both were smiling at her and nodding. Pudding and Tart stood next to them, and both gave her a thumbs-up and a grin. Lettuce and Pie, hand in hand, Lettuce giving her a soft, assuring smile and Pie's face the usual blank, though his eyes told her it was okay to say 'yes'. Zakuro and Ryou, the former giving her a half-smile while the latter nodded. Rin and Keiichiro, both smiling at her, giving her support. Rirī and Mint both smiled encouragingly.

They were the Tokyo Defenders.

But… so was she.

Rōzu took a deep breath and turned back to look at Chai.

"Thank you for the offer, Chai-Sofu, but," She grinned over her shoulder at her team. "I can't just abandon the Tokyo Defenders."

The students of the Academy groaned while all the teachers breathed a sigh of relief.

"But I will apply to join the Academy as soon as Mylo is defeated on Earth," Rōzu continued.

The teachers all paled again while the students cheered.

Chai smiled, his eyes twinkling. Somehow, he had expected that answer.

"Well, then at least have this parting gift," Chai said, bringing out a long ribbon. He twirled it over Rōzu's head and she became wrapped up in it. When Rōzu opened her eyes again, she realized that she was in her Battle-Form outfit, but there was something different about it.

There were pennants attached to the back of her tutu.

And not just any pennants. Staff Sergeant pennants, a full rank higher than Kish, Pie, Rin and Tart's rank when they became official students at the Academy. It was still a low-class rank, but Rōzu didn't care. No other student in her year, or even the year above, had this rank.

This was all hers.

Rōzu smiled at Chai and bowed.

"Arigato," She said.

"You have earned it," Chai said.

Rōzu couldn't stop grinning.

While Risa was making her children promise to call often, Ichigo noticed someone else who had arrived.

Rishi-Sobo's blind eyes stared at Ichigo and she raised a hand, beckoning her forward. Ichigo did so.

"Remember your promise, Mew Ichigo," She whispered.

"Hai, Rishi-Sobo," Ichigo whispered.

Rishi-Sobo smiled and reached up to caress Ichigo's cheek.

"I know it will be hard, but stay strong, my little strawberry," She said. "Many trials await you. It will tax your strength, both physically and emotionally. But I have faith that you will succeed in this task before you."

"Thank you," Ichigo said.

"Good luck, Ichigo," Rishi-Sobo said. She tilted her head. "I believe your team is ready to depart."

Ichigo looked over her shoulder to look at her team.

"Guess it is time to go," She said. She turned around and was surprised to find that the old Cyniclon woman had disappeared. Ichigo smiled wryly.

"Good-bye for now, Rishi-Sobo," She muttered, walking back over to the ship.

"You alright?" Kish asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo said. "At least, I think so."

Kish squeezed her hand and gave her a grin, but it looked a little forced to Ichigo.

"You don't want to leave, huh?" She said.

"Gets harder every time," Kish admitted. "But the sooner we leave, the sooner we get home, right?"

"Right," Ichigo said, laying her head against his shoulder.

They were preparing to board the ship when suddenly Curry grabbed Keiichiro's shoulder and turned him around.

"One warning," Curry said in a low voice, his eyes hard. "If you take away my daughter's honor, break her heart, or mistreat her in any way, I will hunt you down and kill you."

Keiichiro just smiled calmly.

"Provided Pie doesn't beat you to it," He said. The corner of Curry's mouth lifted and he gave a low chuckle.

"Yes, provided Pie does not get ahold of you before I can," He said. "You are a good man, Keiichiro Akasaka. And more importantly, you make Rin happy. Treat her well."

"I will, sir," Keiichiro promised with a nod. Curry patted Keiichiro's shoulder and then turned to go stand beside Risa, who was holding Asagao while giving her daughters and the Mews final hugs good-bye.

The Tokyo Defenders boarded the ship. Pie and Kish started the engine. The ship lifted off, getting higher and higher in the air...

And then, they were gone.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"Alright, Ryou, you've got to fill us in," Ichigo said a few hours later as they sat in the lounge area of the ship, letting the autopilot do its job and getting in some final hours of relaxation. "Do you seriously have a Plan Z?"

"Plan what?" Kish asked, lifting a green eyebrow.

"Apparently, a plan for Zombie Mew Mews," Rirī said. "Or, at least, that's what Masaya seems to believe."

Ryou snorted.

"No, don't worry, I've got no plans to make any zombies anytime soon, Mew Mew or not," He said.

"So, why does Masaya think you do?" Rōzu asked.

Ryou grinned.

"Well, it was just after he joined the team for the first time," He said. "Frankly, I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him, whether he turned into the Blue Knight or not. Didn't trust him as a fighter, a waiter or as Ichigo's boyfriend. So, one afternoon, he came to me and asked to know how the Mew Project worked. So I took him down to the basement and told him. He was quiet throughout the entire thing, asking only a few questions. Then, at the end, I decided it'd be fun to mess with him, see how loyal he really was."

"Don't lie, you were trying to scare him off, weren't you?" Zakuro said, elbowing Ryou in the ribs playfully.

"Well, a little bit," Ryou admitted. "So, anyways, what I did was look him dead in the eye and told him that there was a strong chance that the Mew Project was going to fail, that Tokyo Mew Mew wasn't going to succeed, that the girls were going to die and Earth was going to be taken over by the Cyniclons. He said that he wasn't going to let that happen. I responded saying 'You can't prevent everything. But, if the aliens do take over, there is only one true way to defeat them.' Of course, he asks to know and I tell him, straight-faced, 'Zombies'. Should have been there to see the look on his face, it was priceless."

There were sniggers going through the room at the thought.

"So, then, I told him that if he miraculously was the only one of us surviving, he would have to be the one to initiate Plan Z and start the Zombie Apocalypse as the only way to defend Earth," Ryou continued. "He protested, saying he didn't want to be the boss over a bunch of zombies, but I told him he would have no choice, or he was dooming Earth by refusing." By now, everyone was laughing, and Ryou couldn't stop grinning. "Finally, he asked if the girls knew about this, and I told them no, they didn't. Because I didn't want them to know that they would be the first ones to become zombies. He was really quiet after that. He left the basement rather quickly. I'm honestly surprised he stuck around, though I guess Ichigo was a big factor there."

"If he finds out about this, he's going to kill you, you know," Ichigo said, clutching her stomach as she laughed.

"And it would be totally worth it," Ryou admitted.

"I wish you had told us you were going to do that," Mint said, wiping away her tears of mirth. "We would have video-taped it."

"It was all spur of the moment," Ryou said. "Otherwise, I would have."

"Yeah, well, at the moment, I think zombies would be a better weapon to have," Tart said, wrapping his arm around Pudding's shoulders. "Means we wouldn't have to figure out what Mylo's been so cryptic about."

Lettuce suddenly frowned in thought.

"Ryou, Keiichiro, did you ever discover what the energy source that turned Omotesando into a forest?" She asked.

"No," Keiichiro said. "We thought it was Mew Aqua initially, but it wasn't, though it was something similar."

"My data found nothing, either," Pie said. "Only that it was an energy source."

"Something wrong, Lettuce?" Ichigo asked.

"It's just that," Lettuce said softly, bringing her knees under her chin. "What if there truly is something that is more powerful than Mew Aqua? What if we never knew it existed? What if we did have it all along?"

"What are you talking about, na no da?" Pudding asked.

"You said Ichigo told us to find our elements," Lettuce said, looking up. "Well, excluding those on the periodic table, we're left with four basic ones, right? Water, earth, air and fire, Mew Aqua being water in this case. So, maybe what turned Omotesando into a forest wasn't Mew Aqua. It was one of the other elements."

Everyone stared at her in shock, then Pie said,

"That… that makes sense," He said. "Tart could not have turned the Mew Aqua into a Chimera, but if it was something different, a different element that reacts well with plants, then it could work."

"But the glow died shortly after," Zakuro said. "It wasn't pure."

"It wasn't pure Mew Aqua, we know that for sure," Keiichiro said. "And it may not have completely died either. It just became dormant, letting the parasite take over."

"So, then it exists?" Rirī asked. "That's what Mylo's after?"

"He did say 'why play with only water when you can play with fire, among other things'," Ryou said.

"And the elements Ichigo Onee-Chan told us to find…" Pudding whispered.

"Then…" Mint whispered. "How do we begin to search for these elements?"

No one had the answer.

Just then, they heard a beeping from the cockpit.

"We're entering Earth's atmosphere," Kish said as he and Pie stood up to head for the cockpit. As soon as they left, Ichigo's phone rang.

"Moshi-Moshi?" Ichigo said.

"Ichigo, when are you guys coming back?" Masaya demanded on the other line. Ichigo couldn't help but smile at remembering the story Ryou had just told them, but she managed to stop herself from laughing.

"We're going to be landing soon," Ichigo said. "And we've got a lot to tell you and Shinji. Hey, what day is it on Earth?"

She heard Masaya chuckle.

"Sunday," He said. "The seventh."

Ichigo grinned. Typically, school started back on the fifth or sixth of the new year. But since it was so close to a weekend…

"Thanks," She said. "We'll see you later."

She snapped her phone shut and started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Tart asked.

"Well, Tart, my midget friend," Ichigo said, still grinning. "We are landing on Earth, just in time for the first day of the new school term in the morning."

The others couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

* * *

**The next chapter will be kind of filler-y as well, but a fun one nonetheless. :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, there'll be an update on Monday, and then there'll be one every other Monday till the end of June, when my class ends. I don't have a clue what I'll do after that.**

Chapter Eleven:

"Again," Ryou ordered.

"Give it up, Ryou," Ichigo snapped, de-transforming from her Mew Ichigo form wrapping her jacket around her tighter. "We've been working on this for over an hour."

"We just can't do it," Mint said, de-transforming as well, shivering slightly. "It's not like we're not trying."

"You did it back on Cynnth," Ryou argued.

"And we still don't know how we did it," Zakuro said, also de-transforming along with Lettuce and Pudding.

"We just can't go Ultimate, na no da," Pudding said.

"What happened that made you go Ultimate?" Shinji asked.

"That's part of the problem, we just can't remember," Lettuce said. She sighed and looked over at Pie and Masaya, both sitting cross-legged in the grass, Pie's eyes closed while Masaya's eyes were open. "How is the whole 'Find-Inner-Knightly-Self' thing going over there?"

"Okay," Masaya said.

"Horrible," Pie said bitterly.

"Well, okay then," Lettuce said.

Pie sighed as he climbed to his feet.

"I have been trying for days now to transform into the White Knight again, but nothing seems to be working," He said.

Masaya sighed.

"And I don't know what to tell you," He said. "To be honest, I never truly figured out the exact science as to how the Blue Knight thing actually worked."

"Well, we know the transformation was more or less connected to Ichigo," Kish said. "So, shouldn't that mean that the White Knight transformation is connected to Lettuce?"

"Don't look at me, I don't know anything either!" Ichigo said, making her way towards inside the Café, tired of being in the cold.

"I just don't get it," Tart said, picking up the soccer ball he had been juggling. "It's like every time we turned around, there was the Blue Knight. So, why hasn't the White Knight made more appearances? Or the Green and Red Knights?"

"Probably because unlike Ichigo, Lettuce and Pudding know to stay away from potentially deadly situations instead of running headfirst into them," Ryou said in a low voice. "Fortunately over the years, we've gotten better at stopping her from doing so."

"I heard that!" Ichigo yelled, sticking her head out the door. "And in the end, it's your fault I end up in those situations, Shirogane!"

"Believe it or not, Ichigo, I can live with that," Ryou retorted. Ichigo stuck out her tongue before slamming the door.

"Come on, it's cold out here," Rin said as she stuck her hands in her jacket pockets as she headed for the door.

"I think we have more important things to worry about than going 'Ultimate' or getting Pie to transform into the White Knight again," Zakuro said as they sat around the kitchen counter, each with a hot drink in front of them. "Like getting our hands on more Mew Aqua."

"I thought we had found it all, na no da," Pudding said as she wiped the whipped cream off of her upper lip with the back of her hand.

"Well, apparently not," Keiichiro said. "There's very little left here in Tokyo. Very little left in Japan for that matter."

"So, we just have to find it first," Rōzu said as she played with the spoon in her mug. She thought for a second, then said, "How do we do that?"

"Well, for better or for worse, the Mews are sensors for the Mew Aqua," Ryou said. "Ichigo and Lettuce in particular."

"It reacts best with Lettuce out of the two of us, though," Ichigo said as she poked at a marshmallow in her mug. "To the point that it changed her form."

"Changed her form?" Shinji repeated, turning to look at Lettuce, who smiled shyly.

"I turn into a mermaid if I'm in water in close contact with the Mew Aqua," She explained. "It's proven to be very helpful, especially since I can only swim in deep water when I'm in Mew Lettuce form. Being a mermaid just makes me faster and able go deeper under water."

"So, what else does the Mew Aqua do?" Rirī asked.

"Well, as you've seen, it can restore practically anything," Keiichiro said.

"Even life, na no da!" Pudding said with a grin. She looked at the other Mews, Kish, Pie, Tart and Masaya. "Thank goodness for that, or we wouldn't be sitting her, na no da. We couldn't have survived the last battle otherwise, na no da!"

Pie, Kish and Tart started shaking their heads with wide eyes, silently begging for Pudding to shut up, but it was too late. There was the sharp sound of porcelain hitting wood as Rin stared at her twin with pursed lips and narrowed eyes.

"Pie-Chan," She said in a painfully calm voice. "Would you care to elaborate on Pudding-Chan's statement and, at the same time, give me a complete answer as to why I could not feel you on the day of this battle?"

"No," Pie said simply.

Rin's eyes went into slits.

"Let me rephrase my request," Rin said, her voice still viciously calm. "Please give me—in full detail—a complete narration of this battle."

Rirī and Rōzu both looked up in interest, both curious to know what their brothers were keeping a secret from them. Pie gulped silently and looked to Kish and Tart for help.

"Oh, do not fret," Rin said, noticing the silent pleas. "I am going to have them give their story, as well. Full story. Now."

Pie sighed, then said,

"Fine. But, you have to swear to never, ever tell Mama and Papa."

"Oooh, it's one of _those_ stories," Rirī muttered.

"I've never got to hear one of 'those' stories before!" Rōzu said excitedly.

Rin sighed.

"Fine," She said. "Start talking."

The humans sat in awkward silence as the three boys told their story, which quite truthfully did not put Pie in the best light, particularly when it came to explaining how Tart had been killed in the battle. Pie was unable to look at anyone for the most part, while Rirī and Rōzu's eyes got wider and wider as the story went on. Rin, on the other hand, had a completely blank expression and she lowered her gaze to her lap as well.

After the tale was told, all was silent.

Then Rin, still gazing down, slowly raised her arm and snapped her fingers.

From the window, they saw a pale haze covering the building. The Mews, Ryou and Keiichiro recognized it as a teleportation shield.

"Uh oh…" Kish, Tart, Rirī and Rōzu whispered, all having a bad feeling that they knew what was about to happen next. Pie gulped.

Then, sweetly, Rin said,

"Pie-Chan, my dear, darling brother, you have thirty seconds."

"To do what?" Pie asked warily. Then Rin lifted her head, her indigo eyes glowing blue with a large, scary grin on her face.

"To run, of course," She said.

Pie took a millisecond to process that information, then jumped up and indeed began running. Rin took off after him—apparently not having truly intended to give him a full thirty second lead—and chased him around the Café with a frying pan (where she had gotten it, no one was quite sure), occasionally landing a blow to the back of Pie's head.

"Now I see why you made us promise to not tell Mama and Papa," Rōzu said softly as they watched the scene.

"Should… we stop her?" Shinji asked.

"You want to get in the middle of that?" Rirī asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Good point…" Shinji admitted.

"Give her a while to cool, then we'll try talking to her rationally," Tart said, then winced as the frying pan met the back of Pie's skull.

"Oh, come on, Rin, we just finally got him nursed back to full health, and here you are giving him a concussion," Kish said softly, clicking his tongue disapprovingly.

"I thought Rin felt pain whenever Pie is in pain, so, isn't she also hurting herself technically?" Lettuce asked.

"Well, I would say she's probably cut him off, but she's also probably mentally screaming at him, therefore making the pain worth it," Rirī said.

"Makes sense," Zakuro said.

"So, back to the Mew Aqua," Masaya said. "We have any idea what these other elements look like?"

"That's what makes this a bit of a challenge," Keiichiro said. "We're not even one-hundred percent sure they exist."

"That does make this difficult," Ichigo said. "At least we still have a bit of Mew Aqua as a reference point."

"What exactly is it?" Shinji asked. "I mean, what's it made up of?"

"In short, it's pure, crystalized water," Ryou said.

"So, what you're saying is, right now everyone's frantically searching for ice?" Shinji said, incredulous.

"It's magic ice," Mint said.

"Magic ice," Shinji said, still looking doubtful.

"Wait, you're going to accept aliens that create monsters made out of animals, souls and human beings, some who are trying to take over the world, some who are trying to protect it, that your own girlfriend has bird DNA in her, and that this extremely pink and girly café is the secret headquarters of superheroes, but you're going to be skeptical when we say 'Magic ice'?" Ichigo asked.

"Call me crazy," Shinji said with a shrug.

They winced as they heard tables get knocked over in the other room.

"Heh, I actually thought that by now he'd either be unconscious, or she'd have cooled down enough to stop chasing him," Kish said. Tart sighed and stood up.

"I'll go stop her before she breaks his skull," Tart said.

"Thanks, Tart," Rirī said.

Tart jumped out of the way as Pie came flying through the swinging doors, Rin hot on his trail, her eyes still glowing. Tart flew up and grabbed her wrists, her frying pan above her head.

"Rin, Rin, stop!" Tart yelled. Rin froze, the glow in her eye diminishing as she looked at her brother curiously.

"But… but Taru…" She whimpered.

"Rin, it's done," Tart said in a firm voice. "It was done two and half years ago."

"But… but he…" Rin whined again.

"Rin," Tart said, even firmer. "This is why we didn't tell you before now. Because you have a tendency to react first and ask questions later."

"It's a philosophy that's gotten me this far in life," Rin muttered, studying the back of her frying pan, running her thumb over the edge. Tart face-palmed.

"Look, the point I was trying to make is that he's already apologized, and I've already forgiven Pie. And we haven't let it get between us at all since it happened. I advise you do the same," Tart said.

Rin lowered her frying pan and her head with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Taru," She muttered.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Pie, the one you've been chasing around and hitting with the frying pan," Tart said.

Rin turned on her heel and floated over to Pie.

"Sorry Pie-Chan," She muttered.

"Apology accepted," Pie said.

Tart nodded and turned to head back to his chair. As soon as his back was turned, Rin gave Pie a final smack on the back of the head with the frying pan before making it disappear.

When Pie gave her an incredulous look while rubbing the back of his head, Rin glared at him out of the corner of her eye and hissed,

"I'm not apologizing for that one."

With that, she sauntered back to her seat, Pie grudgingly following.

"So, seriously, this magic ice," Shinji said. "Exactly where did it come from?"

"Well, we're ninety-nine point nine percent sure that the Cyniclons who originated on Earth created it," Ichigo said. "The Mew Aqua Rod, too."

Suddenly, the six Cyniclons stared at her with wide-eyes, all clearly surprised, Pie, Kish and Tart especially.

"You… you didn't know that?" Lettuce said. The siblings shook their heads

"No, which is odd," Pie said, frowning. "I would have thought that our history would cover something like that."

"Maybe most people didn't know and only a few did, the ones who created it, that's why it wasn't documented," Keiichiro said. "Which I guess goes the same for the other elements."

"I know we stumbled onto Mew Aqua by complete accident," Ryou said. "But it didn't take long to figure out it's uses."

"Same with us," Kish said. His brow furrowed. "It's weird; almost like something or someone only wanted us to find the Mew Aqua, not anything else. I mean, what are the odds of two groups, enemies of each other, finding the same magic substance when there are three other ones that could be found?"

"Maybe the other ones are hiding, na no da," Pudding said. "They don't want to be found until later, or in a specific place, na no da."

"So, then," Rirī muttered. "Where do we begin our search?"

No one had an answer.

"What about the Mew Project?" Kish said softly.

"What about it?" Ryou asked.

"You said you and Keiichiro no longer have any control over it anymore," Tart said.

Keiichiro sighed.

"Not that we had much to begin with," He said somberly.

"The Mew Project was not intended for use on humans," Ryou said. "Our original target was other Red Data animals. But, the day we launched the project, we ran into an unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstance. There was an earthquake. Not big enough to cause any real damage, but enough that instead of the animals, the girls were hit."

"Dumb luck, really," Keiichiro said with a dry chuckle. "That their DNA was compatible. Otherwise, they would just be able to turn into an animal for a few minutes, like Ryou."

"You know about hindsight bias, where everything is perfectly clear and predictable after it has already happened?" Ryou said, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He grinned. "Yeah. Thinking back on it, that earthquake was a warning. That we'd never be completely in control."

"We didn't know who had what animal, or even who had been hit," Keiichiro said. "All we knew was that there was five, because that was how many samples of DNA we had put in, and there were zero when it had finished."

"Weapons, Mew Marks, attack names, even the uniforms was dependent who got what. Since they weren't the intended targets, we never did and still don't have any control over things like that," Ryou said. "We had no control over any of that, not even with how the girls transform. But recently, we've been seeing other signs that something has changed. Like how Pudding formed a shield a few weeks ago on Christmas Eve."

"So, what does this mean?" Ichigo asked. "The fact that you aren't in control over any part of the Mew project anymore?"

Ryou frowned.

"It means something has changed. But we don't know why or how," He said. "We just have to hope that time will tell."

They were all silent again, the conversation having come to a complete and total dead end, leaving them all with more questions than when they had begun.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Rōzu yawned as she floated half-asleep up the stairs, a glass of water in her hands. She slowly flew down the hall towards her room, then paused and flew backwards a bit. She frowned as she looked in the open doorway of her brothers' room. Kish and Tart were sound asleep and snoring, but where was Pie?

After thinking for a second, Rōzu teleported. Sure enough, she was right.

"Why are you on the roof?" She asked, floating over to her brother, who sat with a blanket around his shoulders, gazing up at the stars.

"Why are you awake?" Pie responded.

"Needed a drink," Rōzu said, sitting beside him. "Your turn to answer."

"Needed to think," Pie said, opening the blanket so that Rōzu could be wrapped up in it as well.

"How's your head?" Rōzu asked, snuggling into Pie.

"Fine, thank you," Pie said. He grimaced. "Though I cannot deny that Rin chose a good weapon to back her strength."

Rōzu chuckled. They were silent for a moment, then Pie said,

"Rōzu, I have a question for you."

"Uh huh?" Rōzu said, looking up at her brother.

Pie averted his gaze for a moment before speaking again,

"Rōzu, am I a good big brother?"

"Of course you are, Pie-Chan!" Rōzu said, squeezing her brother as tightly as her small arms could. "You're not perfect, and you make mistakes, but so does everybody else, right? You're good at taking care of us, and protecting us and always being there when we need you."

When she saw that Pie still wasn't convinced, she continued,

"The thing with Tart was a mistake, right?"

Pie nodded.

"One I wish I had not made," Pie muttered.

"Well, you weren't trying to kill Tart, right?"

Pie shook his head.

"I did not think I hit him that hard," He admitted. "I was just trying to injure him so that he would be forced to retreat. I just… lost control…"

"Everyone does at some point," Rōzu said. "And then you did something that you knew wouldn't fix the problem, but it would help others."

Pie finally looked down at his younger sister, to see her smiling up at him.

"The Mew Aqua gave you, Tart and Kish a second chance. It didn't do so for nothing. I think it would be a waste if you and Tart never spoke to each other again, or if he hadn't forgiven you, or if you hadn't said you were sorry. But, I also don't think that dwelling on it is a good use of this second chance. Past is past, and there's nothing that can change that. So you've got to look forward, to what lies in store, right?"

Pie smiled.

"And just where did you get to be so wise?" He asked, pulling Rōzu onto his lap and hugging her.

"I think I was born with it," Rōzu said, grinning as she hugged Pie back.

"Thank you, Rōzu," Pie said softly.

"You're welcome," Rōzu said. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled up at him. "That's why I exist as your little sister, you know."

They sat there together, watching the stars until Rōzu fell asleep again, a contented smile on her face.

She loved her strange and often scary family, no matter what. And she was just glad that they loved each other too, no matter how badly one of them messed up and how angry one was with another.

They weren't perfect, but no family was. And that was alright with her.


	12. Chapter 12

**So... I got my final grades back for my classes! Two B's that I'm very proud of! :D**

**And now, I start my next class today. So updates will be every other Monday, but this chapter and the ones following are long ones (There's one chapter I literally had to divide in two because when I finished writing it, it was 30 pages long) So, I really hope you like these long chapters, starting with this one, one of my favorites so far. Enjoy!**

Chapter Twelve:

"So this is Mew Aqua," Shinji said as the team gathered around Keiichiro, holding a small glowing vial in his hand.

"This is only a little bit of Mew Aqua," Keiichiro explained. "You think this is impressive, you should see it when there's more of it in one place."

"It's a really pretty light show then, na no da!" Pudding said with a grin.

Ryou glanced away from the Mew Aqua and his eyes widened as he looked at Lettuce, Ichigo, Kish, Pie, Tart, Mint, Pudding, Zakuro and Masaya, all staring at the Mew Aqua.

"Uh, guys," Ryou said. "You're glowing."

"What are you talking about?" Mint asked, looking down at her arms, not seeing what Ryou was talking about.

"Well you are!" Rin said, now seeing what Ryou was talking about. "Rōzu, hit the lights!"

Rōzu turned off the lights and instantly the others saw that Ryou and Rin were right.

Lettuce, Ichigo, Kish, Pie and Masaya all had a dark blue glow surrounding them while Pudding, Tart, Mint and Zakuro had a lighter, paler glow coming from their skin.

"Cool, we're radioactive, na no da!" Pudding said, studying her glowing skin with wide eyes.

"Why is our glow darker, though?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, I'm guessing that it's because you and Lettuce always got the strongest reactions from the Mew Aqua," Keiichiro said. "And Masaya, Kish and Pie must still have a higher concentrate of Mew Aqua in them from the last battle."

"Don't worry, we're going to look into it." Ryou said.

Satisfied, Rōzu turned on the lights again.

That evening, after the Café had been closed, Ryou came running into the dining room.

"I got a signal on some Mew Aqua," He said. "But there's also heavy Chimera activity around it."

"We got to get it before Mylo, then," Kish said urgently, dropping his mop. "Let's go!"

Within minutes, the Tokyo Defenders were at the scene of the battle.

"Mew Ichigo, catch the Mew Aqua in your rod!" Zakuro called, looking over her shoulder.

"Hai!" Ichigo called, pointing her rod at the Mew Aqua.

But nothing happened.

"Hurry it up!" Rirī called.

"I'm trying!" Ichigo called back. "But it doesn't want to come!"

"Is it not Mew Aqua?" Masaya asked over her pendant.

"No, I'm glowing, it's pure," Ichigo said. "But, it just doesn't want to get into the rod."

"It's never done that before," Ryou said. "Can you pick it up?"

Ichigo sighed, looking up at the Mew Aqua in the sky.

"Yeah, I think so," She said. "Kish!"

"I'm here!" Kish said, coming behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, knowing instantly what she wanted. Together, they flew up into the sky and Ichigo reached out for the Mew Aqua. To her surprise, it darted away from her.

"Huh?" Ichigo and Kish said together. Kish flew her closer and she reached out again, but it still continued to move. Kish held Ichigo to him with one arm and extended his own hand. Again, the Mew Aqua moved.

Suddenly, Pepper, seeing an opportunity, flew at breakneck speed and made a grab for the Mew Aqua. And she would have succeeded, had the Mew Aqua not started glowing again and threw her back, Cayenne just barely able to catch her before she fell out of the air.

While Cayenne checked on Pepper, Chile made the same attempt, with the same reaction, crashing into Zen and sending them both tumbling through the air. Rōzu tried and only came up empty-handed, Pie catching her before she hit the ground. Mint flew through the air and tried as well, but again to no success.

"It… just doesn't want to be caught," Mint muttered as her toes touched the ground, looking up at Ichigo, who looked just as confused.

What was going on with the Mew Aqua?

The Mew Aqua suddenly started flying through the air, everyone watching it, not quite knowing where it was going. Suddenly, it plunged towards the ground. They heard a scream.

The Tokyo Defenders looked horrified. Sitting, stunned, on the ground, was a wide-eyed Homare, staring at the piece of Mew Aqua at her feet, slowly sinking back into the ground.

The fact that she was there didn't disturb them.

No, it was the fact that—unbeknownst to her—she was _glowing_.

And not just a pale glow.

A dark glow.

In the basement of Café Mew Mew, Ryou, Keiichiro, Shinji and Masaya all leaned forward, eyes wide and mouths gaping.

"Well," Keiichiro said, blinking in shock. "This is an unexpected turn of events."

"My sister is glowing, yes, I'd say this is unexpected!" Shinji growled.

"Why is Homare glowing?' Masaya demanded, looking up at Ryou, who was dumbstruck.

"She's a Mew Aqua sensor?" Zakuro said, stunned.

"But… how?" Tart asked.

Mylo smiled to himself as he watched the human girl climb to her feet, still looking shell-shocked.

She may be a pathetic human.

But she was a _useful_ pathetic human.

"Time to go," Mylo commanded. Without question, he and his small team teleported out of there.

Homare looked over at the Tokyo Defenders.

"Uh," She said. "Is it okay for me to go?"

"Yeah, sure," Ichigo said. As soon as Homare was gone, she turned to Kish. "Follow her. Don't be seen."

"Huh?" Everyone said in unison.

"She's a sensor, and Mylo knows it," Ichigo explained. "He might try to kidnap Homare and use her to find Mew Aqua, whether she wants to or not. She's in danger, and we have to protect her."

Kish nodded and flew silently and stealthily after Homare.

"Now that we know she is a sensor, we just need to know why she is," Rin said solemnly.

"Could Homare possibly have been nearby during that battle, and close enough to where the Mew Aqua was coming from?" Lettuce asked.

"No, we were at our cousin's wedding in Okinawa all that week," Shinji said. "We didn't get back into Tokyo until several days later."

"Then there's no reason why she should be reacting," Ryou said. "But she is, and we're going to find out why."

The next morning, they were all gathered at Café Mew Mew, with the exception of Rirī, who was taking her shift guarding Homare.

"So, did you figure out what got Homare to glow like that last night?" Mint asked a tired-looking Ryou, who was sipping his coffee with bleary eyes.

"Yep," He said, setting down his mug. "From what we've gathered, Ichigo and Lettuce have always and will always get the strongest reactions from the Mew Aqua. Henceforth their dark glow. During that last battle, when the Mew Aqua was released, Masaya and Kish were the two closest to the Mew Aqua other than Ichigo, making them strong reactors, though it didn't instantly take effect. Everyone else is a low-level reactor because they were farther away."

"Alright, but that still doesn't explain what's going on with Homare," Masaya said.

"Actually, it does," Keiichiro said. "Because we realized that there was one piece of information that we didn't take into consideration. The fact that Pie's glow is dark as well. If our theory is correct, then his glow shouldn't be as dark as it is."

"So, then why is it?" Pie asked.

"The level of reaction to the Mew Aqua can be transferred," Ryou said. "If a strong reactor begins spending more time with a low level reactor or a nonreactor, then the person with no reaction will slowly become a stronger sensor."

"So what you're saying is that Pie is only a strong reactor because he and Lettuce make-out a lot?" Rōzu asked, her brow furrowed, ignoring Pie slapping his palm to his forehead with a grimace and Lettuce blushing while the others snickered.

"Well, not making-out exactly, but, yes, that can affect the severity," Keiichiro said, trying to find a delicate way to answer her question.

"So because Masaya and Homare have been dating and making out, that's how Homare became a sensor?" Zakuro said.

"Yes," Ryou said. He paused, then turned to Masaya. "You didn't date anyone other than Ichigo before Homare, right?"

"Nope," Masaya said.

"You?" Ryou asked, turning to Ichigo, who shook her head.

"Good, 'cause it'd be awkward if we had to track down every single one of your exes and asked them if they glowed in the dark or not," Ryou said as he went back to his coffee.

"So, what are we going to do about Homare?" Mint asked. "We have to keep her safe, and now that Mylo knows she's a sensor, she's at risk of being kidnapped."

"We've got to throw him off Homare," Keiichiro said. "And I think we've got a plan for how to do it. All it takes is some Mew Aqua."

"I thought Mew Aqua was part of our problem here," Tart said, his brow furrowed.

"Fake Mew Aqua that gives off a reactant like pure Mew Aqua," Ryou explained. "The trick will be getting it to react for you all, but not for Homare."

"How long do you think it will take to make?" Kish asked.

"I don't know," Ryou said, rubbing his eyes. "If we start now, it'd take couple of hours. I think we could get it done before late afternoon."

"Great," Rin said. "What do we do until then?"

"Keep Homare safe and oblivious," Keiichiro said.

"Easier said than done," Tart said.

Masaya's phone beeped and he opened it.

"It's from Homare," He said. "She wants to know if we can hang out today."

"Tell her to come here," Ichigo said.

"You have a plan?" Zakuro asked as Masaya sent the response.

"Uh, no," Ichigo admitted, sweat-dropping slightly. "Hopefully I'll have one before she gets here, though."

The others gave her a glare.

"Don't worry, I'll come up with something, I always do!" Ichigo said.

"That's frankly what we're afraid of," Mint grumbled. Ichigo stuck her tongue out at her.

A few minutes later, Rirī teleported into the kitchen before the bell above the front door rang and Homare entered.

"Hi!" Homare said cheerfully as she went to hug Masaya. "So, what's up?"

"Ask Ichigo," Masaya said. "She's supposed to know."

Homare was visibly not happy about that, which caused Ichigo to think faster until finally she shouted out,

"SPONTANEOUS TRIPLE DATE!"

"What?" Her friends responded as Ichigo grabbed Kish, Mint and Shinji and pulled them over to Homare and Masaya.

"Completely spur of the moment triple date!" Ichigo responded, grinning widely as her plan started to come together. "Homare and Masaya, Mint and Shinji and me and Kish going on a triple date, starting right now!"

"Ichigo, this is ridiculous!" Mint said, trying to shove off her friend's arm around her shoulder. "None of us were planning on going out today, I don't think."

"That's the 'spontaneous' part of 'spontaneous triple date', Mint," Ichigo said, pushing everyone towards the door. "Okay, let's get going, completely random and unplanned fun awaits!"

With that, the door closed behind them, leaving the rest of the team very confused.

"Well," Ryou said, standing up. "I guess that's our cue to get to work."

"Hopefully Ichigo's plan won't backfire," Rirī said.

"Even if it does backfire somewhat, Homare is very well protected," Pie said. "Which I believe was the main purpose of that plan to begin with."

Meanwhile, Ichigo was silently questioning what had possessed her to come up with this plan in the first place.

"So, what exactly do people do on a spontaneous triple date, Ichigo?" Mint said, giving Ichigo a smile that they both knew was fake. Ichigo blushed slightly.

"That… that's the spontaneous part, we can do whatever we want!" Ichigo said with an awkward grin. They all stood in silence on the street corner, staring at Ichigo, who laughed nervously and said, "So… any suggestions?"

"We could go to the amusement park," Homare suggested, already planning for her and Masaya to break away from the others once they got there. Ichigo, however, seemed to know what she was thinking.

"Alright, there's a good one, but what else?" Ichigo said. She purposefully met eyes with everyone other than Homare as she said, "Something nice, safe and preferably indoors."

"Ice-skating!" Homare said, again with the same intent in mind.

"Not a good idea," Ichigo said quickly. "Mint's a disaster on ice-skates. She could very easily break her leg, and she's got so many ballet shows coming up."

Mint growled at being referred to as a 'disaster' on ice-skates. Okay, so maybe she had twisted her ankle the last time she had gone with her friends and couldn't dance for a week, but she was getting better.

"Arcade," Homare said, her face now showing her displeasure.

"It's Saturday, it'll be so packed with kids," Ichigo said.

"Karaoke," Homare said, now glowering at Ichigo as the others watched the back-and-forth between the two girls.

"I don't know of any karaoke bars that are open this early." Ichigo said.

"BOWLING!" Homare finally yelled in frustration.

Instantly, Ichigo, Kish, Masaya, Mint and Shinji cringed, thinking about what could happen if Mylo did catch up to them at a bowling alley, and how much it would hurt if bowling balls and pins were to be used as projectiles aimed at them.

"How about a movie?" Masaya suggested, stepping in between Ichigo and Homare, the latter of whom wearing a satisfied smirk as the former couldn't come up with an argument.

"That sounds great, Masaya!" Ichigo exclaimed to Homare's fury.

"I think there's a new romantic comedy out, we should go see that," Kish added, noticing the daggers Homare was staring at Ichigo with.

So, awkwardly, the six friends headed toward the movie theater. However, they quickly learned that there weren't any showings of that particular movie until afternoon.

"Well, let's pick another one," Shinji said.

"That one looks good," Homare said, pointing at a sci-fi movie poster.

"Looks cool," Masaya said. "What's it about?"

"It's about these aliens trying to take over Earth, and these spies have to protect this teenage girl that is the key to the aliens success without her knowing what's going on," Homare said, studying the poster. She glanced over at her boyfriend, friends and brother, all sweat-dropping slightly. "Uh, you guys okay?"

"Uh, yeah, perfectly fine!" Masaya lied, smiling at her. "Come on, let's get in line."

After paying for tickets and popcorn, they all went into the theater. They chose a row in the middle aisle close to the emergency exit (Homare oblivious as to why) and they quickly arranged themselves so that Homare sat in the middle (Homare being, again, oblivious as to why). So, in the end, the seating arrangement went as: Kish, Ichigo, Masaya, Homare, Shinji, Mint

They chatted while waiting for the lights to dim, answering the trivia questions and discussing which of the television shows that were previewed they were going to watch.

Finally, after the previews felt like they went on forever, the movie started. As the opening scene rolled, Masaya whispered to Ichigo,

"This was the best plan you could come up with?"

"Could you come up with a better one?" Ichigo hissed.

Homare glared at the two out of her peripheral vision, frowning through a mouthful of popcorn. She couldn't make out what the two were saying, but she was annoyed that they were talking with each other.

"What are we going to do when the movie ends, huh?" Masaya demanded. "Two hours isn't long enough."

"Relax, I'll think of something, I've got two hours," Ichigo said.

Masaya sighed and turned back to the movie. He offered his hand to Homare, but she didn't accept it.

An hour into the film, Kish felt his phone buzz in his pocket, just loud enough for it to be heard. Someone sitting behind him threw popcorn at the back of his hand and someone hissed at him to turn his phone off as he pulled it out as checked the screen. He frowned at the four letter message from Pie.

**MYLO**

Kish showed this to Ichigo and she nodded.

"We'll be back," Ichigo whispered to Masaya. She crept around to the other side to whisper in Mint's ear and the other girl slid out of the row.

Homare frowned and looked beside her to see only Shinji and Masaya.

"Where's Ichigo and Mint?" She whispered.

"Uh, bathroom?" Shinji said.

"And Kish?" She asked.

"Went to get more popcorn?" Masaya said.

Homare looked past Masaya to see Kish and Ichigo's half-full popcorn bucket. She cocked an eyebrow at Masaya, who sweat-dropped giving her a grin before turning back to the movie innocently. Homare rolled her eyes, but wrapped her arm around Masaya's and laid on her shoulder with a small sigh.

_Alone at last. _She thought contently. Then she frowned as she heard the crunching of popcorn and glared at her older brother, oblivious to her burning gaze.

Well. Almost alone.

Outside, Kish, Mint and Ichigo weren't having a good time either. Mylo had brought along Topaz, Pepper, Bell, Jalapeno, Chile and Cayenne.

"Where are you hiding it?" Topaz instantly demanded.

"Hiding what?" Mint asked innocently.

"The Mew Aqua sensor, birdbrain!" Pepper snapped, clearly irritated.

"What?" Ichigo asked, deliberately acting confused. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

Pepper fumed and Mylo put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Must mean it's close," Mylo said with a smirk.

Pepper smirked as well and the Cyniclons flew off in separate directions, trying to tear the street apart to find Homare. Just then, the other Defenders arrived.

"'Bout time you all showed up," Kish said. "Are Ryou and Keiichiro done yet?"

"Nope, they just need one more thing," Rirī said, smirking slightly.

Kish, Ichigo and Mint looked confused, then they each cried out in pain as Tart, Rōzu and Pudding each pulled a hair out.

"Be right back!" Rōzu said, waving around a strand of Mew Ichigo's bubblegum pink hair as she teleported away, Tart and Pudding following.

The three who just had their hair pulled growled, but went back to the task at hand.

Topaz smirked and twisted her wrist, creating a parasite. She threw it, creating a Chimera that resembled a star-nosed mole.

"Chimera, find that human girl!" Topaz called out, directing the creature.

The Defenders divided up into teams, some trying to distract the Chimera while the others fought Mylo's team.

From inside the theater, Homare turned to look over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Masaya asked.

"There's people screaming," Homare said, getting to her feet.

"It… it's just the horror film in the next theater," Shinji said, trying to pull her back down, but it was fruitless. Homare was walking out the door.

Exchanging glances, Masaya and Shinji scrambled after her.

Outside, it was chaos. Pudding and Tart had returned, but Rōzu was still absent.

"The Star-Nosed Mole is blind!" Zakuro called out to Mint, Ichigo, Lettuce and Pudding, who were helping her fight the Chimera. "We need to keep it guessing where the attacks are coming from!"

Kish took a step backward as he pushed against Mylo's sword, blocking it from hitting him.

"Where is it?" Mylo demanded with a growl.

"Where is what?" Kish demanded in return.

"That stupid human who reacts to Mew Aqua," Mylo snapped.

"She's not an 'it'. She's a living being," Kish retorted.

"A human," Mylo spat. "Humans will never be superior to Cyniclons."

"Oh? The same race that you are, the same race that won't let you back on your own planet for what you've done?" Kish snapped.

Mylo looked shocked for a second, then resumed glaring.

"I will reclaim my power on Cynnth," He snapped. "But first, I will take Earth. Mark my words, _little brother_."

"Mark my words, _Onii-San_," Kish said. "That's not going to happen."

In the midst of all the chaos, Rōzu teleported, carrying a glowing orb in her hands. Bell saw it out of the corner of her eye and turned sharply, grinning.

"Mew Aqua!" She yelled, flying towards Rōzu. Pepper abandoned her fight beside Jalapeno and flew over as well.

Rōzu held the orb protectively.

"This is ours!" She yelled at the twins.

"Not for much longer!" Pepper yelled, trying to snatch it out of Rōzu's hands.

"No!" Rōzu yelled, tugging it back. Bell joined in Pepper's struggles.

"Give it!" Bell yelled.

"No!"

The three girls tugged on the orb until finally Rōzu, smirking slightly, let go. Bell and Pepper fell backwards, landing on their rear-ends, the orb of Mew Aqua flying through the air.

Pepper sat up and sneered at the smirking Rōzu.

"You did that on purpose!" She yelled as she got to her feet.

"Yup." Rōzu said proudly.

"This is your fault, Pepper," Bell snapped. "I could have gotten it!"

"My fault! This is your fault, Bell!" Pepper yelled back. "If you hadn't started pulling on it too-!"

"It's both of your faults, bakas!" Rōzu laughed, pointing at the two. The twins, still snarling at each other, suddenly leapt upon Rōzu, and the three girls began pulling on each other's hair, hitting and biting each other viciously, screaming at each other.

While the orb was still flying through the air, Homare stepped out of the theatre, Masaya and Shinji on her heels. Her eyes widened as a small glowing orb was coming towards her. Instinctively, she stuck out her hands, not really sure she would be able to catch it. To her surprise, it landed in her hands.

Mylo turned to see Homare and the Mew Aqua she held. But, there was something wrong…

"STOP!" Mylo yelled.

Everything and everyone skidded to a stop, even the Chimera Animal. Zakuro had her whip back to hit Jalapeno with it. Lettuce stopped in the middle of calling out her attack while Mint, Pudding and Ichigo stood holding up their weapons. Rirī and Zen had stopped in the middle of their hand-to-hand spar with Rirī's foot hovering near Zen's head. Cayenne had his fist centimeters away from Pie's face, somehow able to stop his momentum when Mylo cried out. Rin had Topaz in a headlock and Chile was tied up in Tart's click-clacks. Bell had a tight hold on one of Rōzu's braids while Rōzu had her fangs in Pepper's arm while Pepper looked like she was about to scratch Bell across the face.

And they all turned to look at the human girl, holding a glowing orb of Mew Aqua.

But not glowing herself.

"Cayenne!" Mylo snapped. Cayenne teleported behind Homare and snatched the Mew Aqua out of her hands, grabbing Homare's arms behind her back.

"Let her go!" Masaya yelled, coming forward to free Homare, but was shoved aside by Mylo, hitting the ground hard.

"Masaya!" Homare cried out, struggling against Cayenne to no avail. Mylo hovered the tip of his sword over Masaya's chest as Masaya tried to sit up.

"Stop struggling unless you want your precious human to die," Mylo snarled. Homare instantly went slack in Cayenne's arms, her eyes wide with fear, glancing back and forth between Masaya and Mylo.

With his sword still aimed at Masaya, Mylo took the Mew Aqua from Cayenne and studied it.

"Jalapeno, bring me Mew Ichigo, now!" Mylo yelled.

Despite Ichigo's protests and a well-aimed kick between Jalapeno's legs, she was brought over to stand beside Homare. Ichigo ducked her face, hoping that Homare wouldn't recognize her.

Mylo brought the Mew Aqua to Ichigo, who immediately glowed. He moved it back and the glow faded. He then brought it close to Homare, who looked really freaked out. No glow.

He moved it back to Ichigo. Glow. Homare. No glow. Ichigo. Glow. Homare. No glow.

"It was a fluke, Mylo," Topaz said, freeing herself from Rin's grasp. "That's all. Can we go now before we further embarrass ourselves?"

Mylo turned scarlet but he tucked the orb away in his pocket, lowering his face.

"Let's go," He said, teleporting away.

The other aliens followed, leaving the Chimera, which the Mews quickly took care of.

"So, uh, sorry 'bout that. Won't happen again, we can promise you that," Tart said awkwardly to Homare, who stood stunned. She shook her head and ran over to Masaya.

"Are you alright?" She asked, kneeling beside him.

"What's one more blow to the head, right?" Masaya said, grinning at her. Homare smiled and hugged him.

"Shinji! Homare! Masaya!" Mint called as she, Ichigo and Kish ran out of the theater, the Tokyo Defenders having mysteriously 'disappeared'.

"What happened?" Kish asked as he held out his hand to help Masaya off the ground.

"Yeah, Mint and I got locked in the bathroom, some kids thought it was a funny prank," Ichigo said, rolling her eyes. "Fortunately, Kish found them gloating about it and got them to free us."

"You guys just missed seeing the Tokyo Defenders fighting," Shinji said. He grinned. "But don't worry, it'll be on the seven o'clock news, I bet."

The three groaned dramatically.

"How's that for cruel fate!" Mint said, resisting the urge to grin.

Homare just smiled, her arms around Masaya and he kissed the top of her head, breathing a sigh of relief. She had no idea just how badly her life was at stake less than five minutes before.

Later that afternoon, Kish, Ichigo, Mint and Shinji sat in the Café kitchen with the others, save Ryou, who was upstairs taking a well-deserved nap. Rōzu winced as Rirī put some salve on one of her wounds.

"You just had to provoke Bell and Pepper, didn't you?" Rirī tutted as she wrapped a bandage around Rōzu's arm.

"Totally worth it!" Rōzu said, grinning. "I've been wanting to do that for years now…"

"So, why didn't the Mew Aqua glow around Homare, but it did for Ichigo?" Kish asked.

"Ryou and I took impure Mew Aqua and modified it to give off a reaction like pure Mew Aqua," Keiichiro said. "But it would only react for people with a certain DNA. That's why we had Tart, Pudding and Rōzu take a strand of hair from each of you. We were only missing yours by the time the battle started."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about Mylo kidnapping Homare anymore," Ichigo said. "He seemed to give up on that fairly easy."

"I wonder how long it's going to take him to figure out it's not really pure Mew Aqua, though," Rin said.

Meanwhile, at Mylo's base…

"Ow!" Pepper hissed as Jalapeno bound her arm.

"What made you two turn on each other?" Cayenne asked as he examined Bell's bruised cheek as she sniffled.

"I dunno," Bell said softly, crying some. She threw her arms around Cayenne. "I'm sorry, Onii-Chan!" Then she let go of Cayenne to throw her arms around her twin, to Pepper's annoyance. "I'm sorry Pep!"

"Just get off of me and consider yourself forgiven," Pepper said, shoving Bell off.

"Hey, has anyone seen Mylo since we got back?" Zen asked, turning briefly away from the screen displaying the video game he was playing with Chile.

"Nope, haven't heard a peep out of him," Topaz said, looking up from the human fashion magazine she had stolen.

Just then, they heard an enraged howl coming from the direction of Mylo's lab, followed by the sound of things breaking. They exchanged nervous glances.

"I don't know what the problem is or why he's angry, but I think we should get the heck out of here before he comes out," Chile said, dropping his video game consul.

The others agreed by teleporting to the ship for the night. And putting up a teleportation shield.


	13. Chapter 13

**LONG CHAPTER!  
**  
**No. Seriously. REALLY long chapter. This one is over 5000 words, nearing 6000. 26 pages. I'm not even sure how that happened... O.o Anyways... Hope you all like it! :)  
**

Chapter Thirteen:

"I've got good news and bad news," Ryou announced a few days later as they were getting ready for the Café to open.

"What is it, Ryou Onii-Chan, na no da?' Pudding asked.

"The good news is, there still is a bit of pure Mew Aqua left here in Tokyo," Ryou said. "The bad news is, there's very little of it, and each little bit is scattered across the city."

"Great," Mint said with a groan. "Back to square one."

"Not necessarily," Keiichiro said. "It should be easier to track this time, since we know how to find it, unlike last time. Plus, there are more of us working together."

"We can split off into groups, instead of splitting off one by one," Lettuce said. "It's always easier to find something if there are more pairs of eyes."

"Not to mention we have our glowing Mew Aqua detectors," Rin said, grinning at said detectors.

"We'll think of places to search, and make a list later," Keiichiro said. "Just try to think of any place in the city where you've felt the pull of Mew Aqua, if at all."

Everyone nodded and got back to work.

An hour later, Ichigo was loading up filled drinks onto a tray in the kitchen when Masaya, who had just dropped off dirty dishes, came up to her.

"Ichigo, have you been to Chō Park recently?" He asked.

"The one with the big butterfly garden? No, I haven't. Have you?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, and I didn't think of it till a while ago, but I think there's something there," Masaya said excitedly.

Ichigo grinned.

"Like a Mew Aqua something?" She asked.

"Exactly," Masaya said. "How about after we close, you, me, Kish and Rirī go check it out?"

"I'll see if Ryou will let us go early," Ichigo said. "Hey, will you take this out to table three for me? And if you could go ahead and take their order, that'd be great. Oh, and they said that one of the girls who was eating with them hadn't arrived yet, so if she's there, get her drink order too."

"Sure, no problem," Masaya said, picking up the tray and leaving the kitchen while Ichigo dashed down to the basement.

Masaya quickly found table three and walked over.

"Alright, who ordered the peach-blossom—" He cut himself off as he looked at the occupants of the table, all staring at him in shock. He knew them well. They went to his school. He didn't need to see the uniforms they wore to tell him that.

And they all happened to be in the same study group as Homare.

The one that met right at that time every Friday afternoon at the library.

Except, they weren't today.

Masaya silently gulped as he slowly turned to face Homare, who had her lips pressed in a thin, straight line and her fists clenched. Her eyes were full of anger as she glared at him.

It was now quite evident who had been the last one at the table to arrive.

"Um," Masaya muttered, trying to give her a smile. "Hi, Homare. What, uh, happened to the library?"

"Closed for repainting," Homare said in an extremely calm voice as she stood up, her chair scraping the floor. "Masaya, may I see you in the hall please?"

"Yes," Masaya said in a small voice. Leaving the tray on the table, he walked like a dog with its tail between its legs as he and Homare stepped into the hallway of the Café.

"How long have you been working here?" Homare demanded.

"Um," Masaya said hesitantly, unable to look at her. "Nearly two months."

"I see," Homare said, her voice blank. Masaya cringed, knowing that meant she was furious. "And you never bothered to tell me this, why?"

"Um, uh," Masaya fumbled for words. "Come on, it's nothing really. Just extra money for college and stuff."

"College and stuff?" Homare repeated, unconvinced. "And what else aren't you telling me, huh?"

Masaya hesitated. There was a lot he wasn't telling her.

"I see," Homare said bitterly, folding her arms.

"Look, Homare, I'm sorry," Masaya said. "You're right, I should have told you. I just, I know how you've been about me being around Ichigo lately and I didn't want you to get upset."

"Uh huh," Homare said, turning away from him.

"Everything between me and Ichigo is gone," Masaya promised. "Everything is purely professional here. We work, we clean, we only speak to each other when we need to. That's all, I swear. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I really am. It was wrong, and it was a betrayal of your trust and all I can do now is beg for forgiveness."

Homare's glare lightened and she gave Masaya a smile.

"I forgive you," She said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him. Masaya smiled as he hugged her back.

"I love you, Homare," He whispered.

"I love you, too, Masaya," Homare said, giving him one more squeeze before letting go.

"Alright, now, I'll get back to work and you get to boss me around as much as you—" Masaya started to say.

"Masaya!" Ichigo called as she ran down the hall, focusing on her friend and too excited about what she was about to tell him that she completely missed the fact that Homare was standing right next to him.

"Ryou says we can leave right after the doors close, we just have to stay longer tomorrow," Ichigo babbled, not noticing Masaya's signals to stop talking. "But really it's worth it if we get to—"

Then Ichigo's face paled as she noticed Homare, who was back to being furious and glaring.

"Uh oh," Ichigo whispered, knowing she had just caused Masaya some sort of trouble.

Homare angrily shoved Ichigo aside and marched out towards the door. Masaya gave Ichigo a look that said 'Now you've done it', ignoring her fervent whispered apologies, and ran after Homare.

"Homare, wait!" He called.

Homare turned sharply, her eyes ablaze.

"How long, Masaya?" She yelled. "How long have you and Ichigo been back together?"

Masaya froze, struggling to find placating words, and failing in the heat and pain he saw in her eyes.

"I really should have seen this coming, right?" She demanded, not waiting for an answer. "I mean, what guy really stays only friends with his ex-girlfriend? 'Everything between us is professional', huh? I didn't know cheating was professional."

By now, Homare had the attention of everyone in the Café, especially the staff. Rōzu hid behind Pie, just waiting for something to be thrown while Rirī, Mint, Zakuro and Tart took refuge behind the cash register. Pudding fell off her ball, not bothering to get up, while Lettuce, Kish and Shinji stood frozen at the tables they were waiting on. Rin, Keiichiro and Ryou peeked out from the kitchen window, listening as Homare let Masaya have it.

"You know, at first I thought, 'aw, it's sweet that they're still friends, he really is a nice guy and it's great to see that they get along so well'," Homare said sardonically. "And everyone warned me, said it didn't feel right for a couple to break up and stay friends. Seriously, what couple breaks up and says 'But we can still be friends' and means it? I got told that you'd just end up cheating on me, that it was just too good to be true, that'd she'd always be the other woman. But I ignored it all and took a chance with you. Because I knew you wouldn't break my heart!"

She was yelling now, then she lowered her voice to a whisper, trying to hide her tears,

"But I see I shouldn't have trusted you."

"No, Homare, I swear, it's not like that!" Masaya said.

"Then what is it like, Masaya?" Homare snapped. "Tell me now!"

Masaya hesitated. It wasn't his secret to tell, especially not in the middle of the crowded Café.

Homare closed her eyes and shook her head, heading for the door.

"Homare, no, don't leave!" Shinji yelled, dropping his tray to run to stop her. Homare froze and stared at him with wide eyes, making Shinji stop dead in his tracks.

"You're working here too?" Homare demanded of her brother. "You knew, and you didn't tell me? Seriously, what are you guys under oath to not tell me you're working here? My own brother…"

"No, Homare, please, just calm down," Shinji begged. "There's a rational answer for all this…"

"If there is, you better tell me now!" Homare yelled.

Again, there was hesitation.

Fuming still, Homare rounded on Ichigo.

"Where's Kish play in all this, huh? Have you broken his heart like mine is now?" Homare demanded. "Or is he just the decoy so that suspicion didn't get aroused?"

"No, Homare, please, this isn't what you think—" Ichigo said, her eyes wide and she quickly had to put her hands on her head to hide her cat ears.

"Not what I think?" Homare spat. "I think it's more than what I thought."

"Homare, please, if you'd just listen!" Masaya begged.

"I'm done!" She screamed. Then she lowered her voice to a near whisper. "I'm just done, Masaya. If you really loved me, you wouldn't have hid all these secrets from me. If you really trusted me, you would have told me by now!"

"They're not my secrets to tell!" Masaya finally yelled in frustration, then regretted it.

"Then please talk to me! Have this all somehow make sense!" Homare pleaded, her eyes begging to hear something, anything that meant that this was all a big mistake, that she just overreacted.

But Masaya could do nothing but stare at the floor.

"I… I can't," He muttered.

Homare's eyes filled with tears.

"Then we're through," She said softly, her heart clearly broken.

One look into Masaya's face and you could see that his heart was in pieces as well.

She turned to head for the door, but before she could take a step, a strong hand clamped over her mouth while an arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides. She felt her eyes widen and she heard Kish's voice whisper in her ear.

"I wouldn't be so hasty with the break-up just yet, Otsu-San," Kish said. "If it is answers you want, hang around. As soon as the doors are locked, we'll tell you everything."

"Everything?" Homare whispered as Kish moved his hand, turning her head to look at him. Kish nodded.

Homare closed her eyes and nodded.

"Lettuce, will you please take Homare into the kitchen?" Kish said. Lettuce nodded and took Homare by the hand, leading her out of the dining room.

Kish looked around the Café, everyone's gazes going back and forth between him, Ichigo and Masaya.

"Drama's over, get back to your cake," Kish said to the crowd.

The customers went back to their food, but they all left quickly. They also noticed that a lot of people who were waiting to be seated left.

"So…" Rin said softly as they cleaned up the dining room, having decided to close early, if for no other reason than there were no more customers.

"What now?" Lettuce asked.

"Guess we tell her," Ryou said with a sigh.

"What happened to keeping Homare in the dark and out of danger?" Tart asked.

"Yeah, what happened to that?" Masaya asked, not looking up from the table he had been sitting at in stunned silence for the last hour.

"I thought you wanted to keep her as your girlfriend, that was the only reason I told her we'd tell her everything!" Kish snapped.

"I do want to keep her as my girlfriend, but not at the risk of her becoming a target," Masaya said in a growl.

They all tried to subtly peek into the kitchen, where Homare sat, still fuming silently. She also looked like she had been crying and trying to hide the tears.

"Homare may not look it, but she's pretty tough," Shinji said. "I think she'll be fine. Plus, she'll have all of us protecting her."

"Let's just get this over with," Masaya said, imagining all the horrible things that could happen to Homare.

They all went into the kitchen and Homare jumped to her feet.

"So?" She said, folding her arms. "You going to tell me what's going on or not?"

"Follow us," Keiichiro said, heading for the basement, the others following.

Homare hesitated for a second and Masaya reached out his hand for her, smiling slightly. Homare pursed her lips and turned away from him, stomping down the stairs. With a disheartened sigh, Masaya followed.

Homare's brow furrowed as she stepped into the dark basement.

"Why's it so dark in here?" She asked.

There was no response.

"Hello? Anyone down here?" She called hesitantly as she took a step further in. Suddenly, a large computer screen lit up, Ryou sitting in a chair in front of it.

"Homare Otsu, what I am about to tell you is highly classified information," Ryou said.

"Wait, what?" Homare said, blinking in surprise.

Ryou turned around in his chair so that he wasn't facing Homare.

"Nearly four years ago, Keiichiro Akasaka and I finished the project my late father began. And not a moment too late, because we learned that an alien race was plotting to take over planet Earth." Ryou said. "This project would involve injecting the DNA of Red Data animals into five other Red Data animals to fight the monsters the aliens could create. Well, for the convenience of time, let's just say that didn't go as we planned. Instead, the DNA samples went into five seemingly normal humans, all of whom had DNA compatible for the mutation.

"And so, in a flash of light, the Mew Project officially began. Five teenage girls who had never met before came together to fight for their planet, each infused with a different animal.

On the screen came three pictures: one of Mint in her waitress uniform, one of her in her Mew uniform, and a small blue bird. Homare stared up in confusion, looking back and forth between the pictures. It then struck her how much Mint looked like Mew Mint. They could have been sisters, no, twins. But… they weren't.

Homare gasped as her eyes widened.

They were the exact same person.

"Aizawa Mint, AKA Mew Mint. Animal infused with: Ultramarine Lorikeet." Mint said as she stepped into the light.

On the screen came three more pictures, this time with two of Lettuce: one in her waitress uniform, and one in her Mew form. There was also a small marine mammal.

"Midorikawa Lettuce, AKA Mew Lettuce," Lettuce said as she stepped into the light, a few steps away from Mint. "Animal infused with: Finless Porpoise."

The screen flashed to three more pictures, this time of Pudding and a small monkey.

"Fong Pudding, AKA Mew Pudding, na no da," Pudding said as she came to stand beside Mint. "Animal infused with: Golden Lion Tamarin, na no da."

The screen flashed to pictures of Zakuro and a large wolf.

"Fujiwara Zakuro, AKA Mew Zakuro," Zakuro said, coming to stand beside Lettuce. "Animal infused with: Gray Wolf."

"And, of course, their leader," Ryou said, clicking the button on his remote.

Ichigo stepped between Lettuce and Mint, smiling softly as the screen displayed two pictures of her and a small cat.

"Momomiya Ichigo, AKA Mew Ichigo," She said. "Animal infused with: Iriomote Wildcat."

Before Homare could respond, her eyes wide and her mouth gapping, Ryou continued to speak,

"These girls became known as the iconic Tokyo Mew Mew. They had one mission: protect Earth from the Cyniclon aliens sent to capture Earth for their people. The Cyniclons sent their three best warriors, brothers who had been training together since childhood."

The screen switched again. This time, there was one picture of Tart in his Café uniform, one of him in his Battle-Form and a picture with a detail of his click-clack weapon.

"Ikisatashi Taruto," Tart said as he stepped into the light across from the Mews. "AKA Warrior Red."

The screen switched to pictures of Pie, of him in his Café uniform and in his Battle-Form. There was also a picture of him in his White Knight form.

"Ikisatashi Pie," Pie said, stepping into the light a few steps away from his brother. "AKA Warrior Black and the White Knight. And then, the leader of our mission—"

"—When he wasn't chasing girls," Tart grumbled.

"Hey, I only chased one," Kish said as he stepped between his brothers, smirking. The screen changed to pictures of Kish, with another picture with a detail of his Dragon Swords. He grinned at the stunned Homare. "Ikisatashi Kisshu, AKA Warrior Green."

Pie then took over the narrative.

"We engaged in many battles with Tokyo Mew Mew," He said. "But we were never victorious, to the anger of our weakened leader, Deep Blue. During one battle, we encountered a strange substance known as Mew Aqua. We searched for it in hopes of using it as a weapon."

"And we searched for it to use it to protect and restore Earth," Ichigo said.

"I learned that Mew Aqua could be used as a restorative, and decided to use some on Deep Blue, in hopes of reviving him so that we could fully conquer Earth," Kish said. "While there wasn't enough to bring him to full strength, it was enough to begin his awakening."

"Deep Blue had a host, who had three forms," Zakuro said. "One was obviously Deep Blue, powerful and bitter."

Ryou switched the screen to a picture of Deep Blue. Homare stared up at the picture of the onyx-haired alien with his cold eyes. Just looking at him sent shivers down her spine.

"Another was the Blue Knight," Ichigo said as Ryou switched the picture again, this one to the Blue Knight. "He was my protector and came to fight when we struggled in battle. But he had a third form. A human form."

"A human form?" Homare whispered, turning to look at Ichigo. Ichigo nodded.

"This third form was that of a human teenage boy, one I was very familiar with," Ichigo said. She smiled. "One you are very familiar with, too."

Homare couldn't move, stunned. Then she slowly turned her head and saw Masaya standing beside Ryou. He gave her a small smile.

"Aoyama Masaya," He said. "AKA the Blue Knight. AKA the human host of Deep Blue."

Homare felt like she needed to sit down. Surprisingly, when she nearly collapsed to the ground, there was a chair there to catch her.

"Good timing, Rin," Mint said.

"Thanks," Rin said from behind Homare. She turned sharply to look over her shoulder, but Rin was gone.

"Well, long story short, turns out Deep Blue was evil," Kish continued and Homare turned back around. "And… I didn't know that until I provoked the Blue Knight enough to make Deep Blue take over. So, a couple of deaths, epic fighting, and nearly destroying the entire planet later, Ichigo and Masaya found a way to kill Deep Blue."

"Obviously, with a way to still keep me alive," Masaya commented.

"Yep," Kish said. "So, even after the Mew Aqua restored everything—even our lives—there was still enough for Pie, Tart and I to take to our planet to restore it. And all was right with the universe. You know, until about six months ago."

"What happened six months ago?" Homare asked.

"Well, that's when the fun truly began," Kish said. "My older half-brother somehow got it into his head that our people still needed to have Earth. So, he quite literally stabbed me in the back and followed me to Earth, where I had teleported to for protection."

"Miraculously appearing in front of me and Lettuce," Ichigo said. "Or else Kish would have probably bled to death before any of us realized he was on the planet. So, a few days after that, we fought Mylo for the first time, we realized that Tokyo Mew Mew wasn't strong enough to fight off Mylo's army, even with the addition of Kish, Pie and Tart."

"Fortunately, we soon got more help," Kish said.

Ryou changed the photos on the screen again, this time to a picture of Rin in her Battle-Form and her Café uniform, with a small picture with a detail of one of her fans.

"Ikisatashi Rin," Rin said, stepping into the light. "AKA Warrior Rindou."

The screen switched to pictures of Rirī, with a detail of her bow and arrows.

"Ikisatashi Rirī," Rirī said, stepping beside her sister. "AKA Warrior Lily."

The screen switched to pictures of Rōzu, with a detail on her sai.

"Ikisatashi Rōzu," Rōzu said, floating cross-legged in the air into the light, grinning. "AKA Warrior Rose."

The very stunned Homare listened wordlessly as she was caught up on six months of battles and information gathered, including the fact that she was a Mew Aqua sensor. When finally the story was done, everyone looked at her for her answer. She blinked a few times.

"Aliens?" She whispered. "You guys are seriously aliens?"

"We prefer to be called the name of our race, 'Cyniclon', but, yes, we are for all intents and purposes 'aliens'." Pie said.

"Aliens," Homare breathed, her eyes wide and voice soft as she tried to sort it all out. "I go to school with aliens. My brother's girlfriend is a Mew Mew. My boyfriend had an evil alien god inside of him that was killed by his Mew Mew ex-girlfriend. There's an alien trying to take over the world with the power of magic sparkles that both kill you and raise you from the dead with help from a small army of other aliens and mutant monsters."

"Well, yeah, that pretty much sums it all up," Mint said.

Homare stood up, her arms wrapped around her stomach, trembling.

"I… I'm sorry, I need a moment," She said weakly, turning and running off.

Masaya started to follow her, but Ichigo grabbed his hand.

"Let me talk to her," She said, giving him a reassuring smile. "We'll be back."

Ichigo went upstairs to find Homare sitting on the floor under the sink, her knees under her chin, her eyes full of tears.

"I have acted like a complete and absolute idiot," She muttered as Ichigo sat beside her. Homare reached under her glasses to rub her eyes. "You know, when Masaya and I started dating I promised myself I wouldn't be one of those jealous, possessive girlfriends. I wasn't lying when I said people tried to warn me against our relationship. My friends said that it didn't seem right, that the nerdiest girl in school would date one of the most popular guys. But I didn't want to listen, didn't want to believe them for a second. It was my fairytale, one I couldn't believe I was living. And everything just seemed so… perfect.

"But, then, when he started spending more time here at Café Mew Mew… I felt like something was wrong, like there was something he wasn't telling me, the way he would brush off some simple questions. But I didn't press, didn't demand answers. But I didn't even truly try to talk with him either. While we weren't joined at the hip, it felt like we were spending less and less time together, only sitting together at lunch and occasionally meeting after school or on the weekend. And then he'd have to disappear for some odd reason that he never told me about… and I assumed the worst. I assumed that you two were together, or starting to get back together. I guess that's when I started feeling… I don't know, I guess the word is territorial.

"I became selfish, greedy. I wanted Masaya all to myself, never to share with anyone. But… I see that you, you and your team, need him also. But despite it, he was still secretive and dismissive. I felt betrayed, and lonely. I didn't know who I could turn to, didn't know who I could talk to. I didn't want my heart to get broken, and so I hardened it. And because of that, I've been horrible to everyone. To Masaya, to Shinji, to you and everyone else who is downstairs right now. I'm so sorry, Ichigo."

"I forgive you, if that's what you want to hear, but I also want to apologize as well," Ichigo said. "There were a lot of things that could have been handled differently. You didn't understand what was going on, didn't even have an idea of what to look for, didn't know how it all fit together even when you did. I don't blame you for thinking that there was something going on with me and Masaya. I'm really sorry, Homare. We thought we were protecting you by leaving you unaware. But we ended up hurting you more than anything else ever could. I'm so sorry, Homare."

Homare looked up, tears still on her cheeks.

"I forgive you, because I know you were trying to keep me safe. And that I didn't deserve your protection, especially the way I've been treating you all lately," She said, sniffling. She lowered her gaze and sighed sadly. "I've ruined it for myself, haven't I? I finally got my fairytale with my handsome prince and I went and ruined my happily ever after with harsh words I can never take back. He's never going to forgive me for this…"

"You haven't ruined anything," Ichigo said, hugging Homare. "Masaya still loves you. I saw it in his eyes that his heart was broken, but he also didn't want us to tell you everything. He thought you would be safer not knowing. He loves you, and because of that he could have just as easily decided not to tell you. So that you would walk away and be safe. I think Kish knew that was going to be Masaya's decision, your safety over everything else. That's why he stopped you before you could walk out the door. Because he thought it was time you knew, and because he wanted you both to be happy. So, yes, I think—no, I know—that Masaya is going to forgive you."

Homare smiled.

"Thanks, Ichigo," Homare said.

"Hey, Homare?' Ichigo said. "There's just one thing I want to make sure you know: even if I did still like Masaya, even if I did want to get back together with him, I would never, ever date him behind your back. You're my friend, and I could never do that to a friend, especially when I can plainly see how happy you two are together."

Homare nodded.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," She whispered. "But, then, can I ask what you two were talking about, when you were talking about going to Chō park this afternoon…?"

"We were going to Chō park to look for Mew Aqua," Ichigo said. "Kish and Rirī were going to go with us. I'm sorry, I should have been more aware of my surroundings and known to keep my mouth shut. But in case you haven't noticed, I have a tendency to open my big mouth and insert a foot."

"Well, can't argue there," Homare said with a chuckle. "And, Ichigo? Thank you. For everything."

"Don't mention it," Ichigo said, giving her friend another squeeze.

The two girls went back downstairs. Homare instantly noticed that the Ikisatashi siblings were floating in mid-air, Rōzu still cross-legged in the air. She also noticed that all conversation stopped when she entered the room. Blushing slightly at this realization, Homare approached Masaya.

"I'm sorry I acted like such a witch," She said. "I should have trusted you more, you and Ichigo. I feel like such a baka…"

"You're not," Masaya said, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. Homare returned the gesture. "I'm sorry I've kept you in the dark so long."

"But like you said, this wasn't necessarily your secret to tell. I should have respected that, and I'm sorry I exploded like that," Homare said, laying her head on Masaya's shoulder as he rubbed her back gently.

"Oh, yeah, speaking of secrets…" Ryou said. Homare pulled out of Masaya's embrace some and looked at Ryou in confusion.

"What? Is there something else I need to know?" She asked.

"No, no more secrets," Ryou said. Then he narrowed his eyes at her. "But now, you know too much."

"How do we know you're going to keep a secret this big?" Zakuro asked innocently. Homare paled.

"I won't tell anyone, ever, I promise," Homare said quickly.

"Oh, we know you won't," Kish said. Homare breathed a sigh of relief. Then Kish grinned devilishly. "We're going to make sure of that."

"Tokyo Mew Mew, you know what to do," Ryou said, turning in his chair to not face Homare, who was now pale white and trembling as the five Mew Mews approached her, grinning mischievously.

"Wait, wait, what?" She stuttered as Lettuce removed her glasses and Pudding quickly tied a blindfold around her eyes.

"Rin, Rirī, Rōzu, a little Cyniclon assistance?" Mint asked.

"We'd be delighted too," Rirī said.

Homare screamed as the girls teleported out of the basement.

"This isn't a very nice thing to do to her," Masaya said with a sigh. "Hasn't she gone through enough today?"

"Yeah. Your point?" Tart asked, his elbow on his knee.

The boys went upstairs and waited outside the girls' changing room, listening to Homare's screams and protests and demands to know what's going on.

"I swear, I won't tell, please don't kill me, I swear-"

Then all of a sudden, Homare cut herself off and gave another shriek, this time of delight.

"Oh my gosh, I look so kawaii!"

"Ah, so that's how you do it," Shinji said with realization. "Tell them all this stuff, and just when you think they're going to make a run for it, you spring cute clothes on them. They can't leave once you've offered cute clothes."

"Just how many variations of those waitress uniforms do you have?" Pie asked curiously, but before Ryou or Keiichiro could answer, Rōzu opened the door, beaming.

"We proudly present to you," She said dramatically. "The newest Café Mew Mew waitress: Homare Otsu!"

Homare stepped out of the room. Her long black hair hung around her shoulders as she stood, wearing a sunflower yellow Café Mew Mew uniform. Her face was very flushed, but she was beaming. She gave a twirl to show off the dress.

"Welcome to the team, Homare," Ichigo said, grinning.

Homare couldn't stop smiling, especially when Masaya wrapped an arm around her waist, kissing her cheek.

Upon learning of the equipment the humans used to monitor the Defenders in battle, Homare could only think of one question:

"How exactly do you communicate with each other between here and where-ever the battle is?"

"Mostly by cell-phones," Shinji said.

"That can't be the best system to work with," Homare said with a slight frown. "You all need two hands to fight, and you can't drop whatever you're doing to answer your phone all the time."

"Our Mew pendants have communicators in them, but we can only talk with each other and whoever's here at the Café," Lettuce said.

Homare frowned in thought.

"Would you mind if I tried some experiments with long-range in-ear communication devices?" She asked.

"Do you have any experience making such devices?" Pie asked.

"I've never done something like that, no," She admitted. "But I do have experience working with electronics, and messing around with HAM radios is kind of a hobby of mine. I already have ideas for how it will all work."

"If you need anything for them, let us know," Keiichiro said. "We'd be glad to help."

Homare set to work almost instantly, appearing for her first day of work at the Café with designs for her prototype and a list of things she needed, which Ryou and Keiichiro were happy to provide her with, Pie and Rin also offered to let her experiment with their communications technology, also making it clear that the Cyniclons' more sensitive ears would require different settings than those for the Mews.

However, while Homare skills in electronics, first aid and working with animals were phenomenal, her balance skills were, well, dismal.

The other members of the Café staff cringed as they heard another plate break as it hit the ground and Homare apologize repeatedly to anyone who would listen. It was the fifteenth plate. In ten minutes.

"Please don't take offense, Lettuce," Ryou said. "But I never thought we'd ever hire anyone clumsier than you to work here."

"Neither did I," Lettuce said, shaking her head.

"You know, Tree-hugger, I don't think you ever told us how you two got together," Kish said.

"I was running late and going down stairs. She was running late and going up-stairs," Masaya said. "Well, she tripped, fell into me, we both tumble down the stairs and next thing we know, we're exchanging cellphone numbers in the nurses' office."

"Quite romantic," Rirī said sarcastically.

"Well, we know she's fit to work here," Ichigo said. "Because no one here has a boyfriend or girlfriend that they met by normal means."

"Aw, come on, what's abnormal about a guy dropping out of the sky to give a girl her first kiss?" Kish teased as he went behind Ichigo to wrap his arms around her waist.

"The word you mispronounced was 'steal', Kisshu," Ichigo said as Kish kissed her cheek.

"Whatever," Kish said, giving her a small squeeze. "And what says 'future soul mate' better upon first introduction than giant mutant butterfly made from a human soul?"

"And then receiving a black-eye as conformation," Pie said, appearing behind Lettuce to wrap his arms around her.

"Or, better yet, a candy drop," Tart said, squeezing Pudding's hand.

"You know she's the one when she falls out of midair into your Café," Keiichiro said, his arm around Rin's waist as she grinned widely, tucking her head underneath his chin.

"Genetically altering the girl's DNA without her approval," Zakuro said, playfully glaring at Ryou who gave her a sheepish grin.

"Walking straight into each other, leaving a large mess of destruction as we walk away," Mint said with a small smile as Shinji let out a small laugh.

Rirī and Rōzu both looked at each other, then their happy-in-their-love-lives companions with disgust.

"Yep, this just confirmed you all are freaks, can we get back to work now?" Rirī snapped as she walked over to guide Homare over to the hostess's station, promoting her to 'official and primary hostess'.

They all agreed that that was the perfect job for her**.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'M BACK AGAIN!**

**So, I'm now an official high school graduate! Yay! *throws confetti***  
**Ichigo: Yeah, now you just have to graduate from college. And get your Masters after that. Face it, you may be done with high school, but you're still a slave to schoolwork for the next 6-7 years. And then, you know, actual work for the rest of your life.**  
**Me: *glares* Who invited you into this conversation?**  
**Ichigo: I did. Now back to your math homework, slave! *cracks a whip at me***  
**Me: Hey, isn't that Zakuro's whip?**  
**Ichigo: Yeah. She let me borrow it just for this.**  
**Me: Great...  
Ichigo: And while we're at it, what happened to the final two chapters of A Change of Heart?  
Me: ...  
Ichigo: *sweatdrops* You forgot about that story, didn't you?  
Me: Didn't forget forget... just decided to change the ending at the last second and totally don't know how I want to do it... And I've been busy... and went through a sudden inspiration burst for AUpgrade...  
Ichigo: *sighs exasperatedly* You left people hanging...  
Me: Shut up! I know that and I'm sorry!  
**

**Anyways, enjoy the first part of this two-part Pudding/Tart-ish arc in Alien Upgrade! While I go work on math... and COH...  
**

Chapter Fourteen:

It was a normal Monday afternoon, getting the Café ready for the afternoon of customers. Almost everyone was there. Ryou and Zakuro had run to the store, and Pudding and Tart weren't back from school yet. Everything was quiet. Peaceful.

And then chaos burst in.

Ryou and Zakuro were both wide-eyed and panting, each holding tall stacks of glossy magazines. Everyone was surprised to see two of the most calm, cool and collected people they knew looking like this, especially considering what they did next. Zakuro quickly shoved her stack into Pie's hands.

"Make these disappear into that green, foggy alternate-dimension place you have, now!" She demanded.

"Uh, why?" Pie asked, looking down at the one on top. It happened to be a very pink and girly teen magazine.

"Because we can never, ever let Pudding see these!" Ryou said, shoving his own stack at Kish.

"Then… why did you buy them all and bring them here?" Rirī asked, confused.

"And, more importantly, where are the groceries?" Rin asked.

"Forget about the groceries!" Zakuro exclaimed. She snatched the top magazine off the stack and showed it to the Mews.

"Isn't that Kawaii Galore?" Lettuce asked. "That magazine about everything cute?"

"Yes, it is, and do you know what time of year it is?" Zakuro demanded.

The other Mews thought, then Mint said,

"The time when Kawaii Award, given to the cutest public figure in Tokyo, is given."

"Mew Pudding's won that award three years running," Ichigo said, grinning. "She loves it, even though it's nothing more than a title."

"So, why don't we want Pudding to see it?" Masaya asked.

Then the three Mews and Keiichiro realized why.

"She didn't win this year?" Lettuce asked, her eyes wide.

Zakuro and Ryou shook their heads.

Ichigo, Lettuce, Keiichiro and Mint's eyes widened.

"Send them away! Send them away!" Ichigo yelled, shaking Kish's arm.

"Geez, easy on the ears, Kitten!" Kish said, banishing the magazines, Pie doing the same.

"Those aren't the only copies in the city," Lettuce said, panicky.

"I'm working on getting those, too," Ryou said, typing away on his phone, pausing just long enough to look at Keiichiro. "And you're going to have to hack the webpage."

"Hai!" Keiichiro said, running for the basement.

"So, um," Shinji said. "I take it Pudding's not going to be happy if she found out about this?"

"Exactly," Ichigo said. "So, we're going to keep her in the dark as long as possible in hopes of nothing exploding or getting 'Ribbon Pudding Ring Infernoed'."

"Infernoed is a word now?" Pie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, just pretend!" Mint snapped.

"So, who did win?" Homare asked, her brow furrowed.

"That's what makes this really important that we hide the evidence," Zakuro said. "It's—"

"What evidence, na no da?"

They cringed as the door opened and Pudding and Tart stepped inside. Pudding's eyes widened as she saw the pink magazine in Zakuro's hand. Zakuro smacked her forehead, calling herself a baka for forgetting to put it back in the stack with the others.

"The newest edition of Kawaii Galore, na no da!" Pudding said, grinning. "Can Pudding see, na no da?"

"No!" Zakuro said, rolling up the magazine quickly and shoving it to Lettuce, who squeaked and threw it, only to be caught by Rin, who quickly teleported to give it to Pie. Pie flung the magazine at Ichigo, who caught it. Pudding looked like she was about to pounce on her, but at last second Ichigo flung it at Kish, stopping Pudding mid-pounce.

Kish gulped as Pudding approached him, eyes glinting menacingly as she cornered him. He looked at the rolled up magazine in his hand, then up at Pudding and gulped again. Even if he teleported, she was close enough to jump in after him.

So he did the only reasonable thing.

He stuck the magazine down the front of his shirt.

The others face-palmed. Pudding merely raised an eyebrow.

"Kish Onii-Chan is silly to think that's going to stop Pudding, na no da," Pudding said, grinning evilly. She jumped on him, pinning him to the floor and tearing at his vest and shirt, though he screamed and tried to fight her off, begging for help.

But it was too late.

Pudding held the magazine in her hand above her head, victorious.

The other Mews, Ryou and Keiichiro instantly hid behind the cash register counter, and the others took cover behind the tables, Pie pausing briefly to yank a very confused Tart over.

"What is wrong with you all, na no da?" Pudding asked. "It's just a magazine, na no da."

"It's, um, what's _in_ the magazine," Lettuce said softly. "That we don't want you to see."

"Why would Pudding get upset over something in a magazine, na no da?" Pudding said. "Pudding just wants to see who won the Kawaii Awards, na no da." She chuckled as she flipped through the pages. "Though really, the winner is obvious, na no da. Aha, here it is, na no da! '_A member of the famous Tokyo Defenders, our Kawaii Awards winner manages to always look her cutest when fighting evil meanie alien monsters. I mean, just look at those ears! How can you not say those are adorable? Yes, this year's Kawaii Award absolutely must go the cutest Tokyo Defender—_'" Pudding cut off and her eyes went wide and she gulped before whispering,

"_Warrior Rose_."

"What?" The others said together, stunned as they came out of hiding, all surrounding Pudding. Rōzu was the one who was shocked the most.

"I won the Kawaii Award?" Rōzu asked in dismay as she floated up to see. Sure enough, when Pudding turned the page, there was a full page spread of Rōzu in her Warrior Rose form, the photographer having caught the young Cyniclon girl giggling over something.

"No, no, no, I can't be kawaii! There goes my entire reputation!" Rōzu said, going over to bang her head against the wall.

"Pudding… is no longer kawaii…" Pudding whispered in shock, her face blank.

"No, no, Pudding-Chan!" Homare said comfortingly, pulling Pudding into a hug. "You're still kawaii!"

Pudding gently shoved Homare away, her eyes vacant.

"No, Homare Onee-Chan, Pudding's not," She said, her voice hollow. "How could Pudding be, na no da? I mean, look at Pudding, na no da!" She gestured to her teenage self and sighed. "Pudding knew this day would come, na no da. She just didn't know it'd be so soon…" She trailed off, gazing into space.

"Uh, I'm not following," Rirī said.

Pudding sighed.

"Pudding can no longer be considered 'kawaii, na no da'," She said, looking thoroughly depressed. No one had ever seen her like this before. "But Rōzu… Rōzu-Chan is the living definition of kawaii, na no da."

Pudding pulled Rōzu over and made her stand in front of the others, to the awkwardness of the younger girl.

"Look at her, na no da" Pudding said sadly. She picked up one of Rōzu's braids between her fingers. "Kawaii braided pigtails. Looks kawaii in her Café uniform, play clothes, and even fighting clothes. She's got a kawaii face, and even her fangs are cute, and she's just so chibi—"

"I'm not a chibi!" Rōzu snapped, stamping her foot and crossing her arms over her chest. Looking incredibly adorable as she did so and therefore not helping her case.

"And then there's the ears," Pudding said, ignoring Rōzu. She lightly ran her finger over one of Rōzu's long, pointed ears and sighed as it cutely twitched at her touch. "There is no denying their kawaii-ness, na no da."

Pudding sighed again, closing her eyes.

"There is only one thing left for Pudding to do now, na no da," She said. "To say good-bye to her 'na no da's and become a boring, un-kawaii, old person." She looked over at Zakuro, Ryou, Keiichiro, Rin and Pie. "Like you guys."

"Oh, gee, thanks for that," Zakuro said dryly, the other's faces also displaying their displeasure with being considered 'old' and 'boring'.

"Now, if you'll forgive Pudding—" Pudding cut herself off and swallowed hard, her hand over her heart. "If you'll forgive me, I cannot work today. This place… it's just too kawaii… too soon, too soon…"

Pudding's shoulders slumped and she headed for the door, a dark cloud over her head.

The others stood in silence as the door closed.

"Well," Lettuce said. "That was, um, uh…"

"Depressing?" Kish finished for her.

"Well, yeah," Lettuce said.

"Don't worry," Ichigo said, the corner of her mouth lifting. "She'll be fine by tomorrow. She just needs time to recover from the shock. Right?"

The others nodded, knowing that Pudding would be back tomorrow.

The next morning, Tart made his way up the pathway to the front door to the Fong residence, his school bag slung over his shoulder and stepping over toys strewn across the walkway. He knocked on the door, waiting to hear an excited voice call, "TARU-TARU!" and the door to be flung open. He braced himself to be glomped…

But it never came.

Instead, the door was opened calmly and Tart jumped back in surprise.

"Good morning, Taruto."

Tart blinked as he recognized the voice.

"P-Pudding?" Tart said, staring at his girlfriend in shock.

Pudding stood there, wearing a straight brown knee-high skirt, a white blouse, a brown tie, a brown jacket overtop, white tights and brown high-heeled shoes. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun and she wore a pair of thin glasses. Her face was as emotionless and blank as Pie's, and she spoke with a similar monotone when she said,

"Is something the matter, Taruto?"

"Uh, yeah, why are you dressed like that?" Tart asked. "And why are you calling me 'Taruto'?"

"I am an adult now, and I must dress like it," Pudding said blandly. "And Taruto is your name, isn't it? So why shouldn't I call you by it?"

"What happened to 'Taru-Taru'?" Tart asked, confused.

"A childish nickname that has served its purpose, but no longer has a reason for me to call you by it, as I am no longer a child," Pudding said. "Now, come, Taruto, or we will be late for school."

With that, she walked down the path, nearly falling a few times in her heels.

Tart blinked a few times before groaning to himself.

_This is going to be a very long week, isn't it?_

The school day certainly was interesting. Pudding, usually the life of the classroom, was quiet, so quiet to the point all of her teachers at one point or another asked her if she wasn't feeling well. And after saying that the light-yellow walls were too bright, they needed to be beige, one teacher did personally take her to the nurses' office.

Needless to say, the new Pudding was also very shocking at the Café.

"What's up with the outfit, Pudding? Loose a bet?" Kish asked as Pudding came into the Café, still unsteady in her heels.

"I did no such thing, Kisshu. For I am an adult now, and adults do not do silly and childish things like that," Pudding said, her nose in the air.

"Uh…" Kish said, not sure how to respond as Pudding walked by him. She stepped into the changing room and stepped back out a second later, approaching Keiichiro with her uniform in her hands.

"This is too bright of a color for me," She said. "Is there any beige I could wear?"

Keiichiro, having a feeling that this was just a phase, she'd eventually grow out of it, said,

"I don't think we have any available, but if you'll bear with it for today, I'll have it ready for you tomorrow."

"That will be fine," Pudding said, retreating to the changing room again. Once she was gone, everyone else turned to look at Tart for an explanation. He just sighed and shook his head.

The Café seemed to have lost much of its vibrancy with Pudding's change. The pink, perky café just was dull without Pudding running around.

"It's… kind of creepy…" Shinji said as he looked around the lifeless café.

"Yeah." The others said in agreement.

Ryou came out shortly after.

"Hey guys, we've got whoa…" Ryou stopped, his brow furrowing as he looked at the dining area and the somber feeling pressing around them. "Who died?"

"Pudding's childhood tendencies, apparently," Zakuro said. "What's up?"

"Mew Aqua sighting, near the amusement park," Ryou said.

"We're on it," Ichigo said.

Pudding gazed blankly as the last of the customers left.

"I am going to have to get into that ridiculously childish outfit to fight with children's toys, aren't I?" She asked.

"You've never had a problem with your Mew uniform before," Lettuce said.

"I was a child before," Pudding said indignantly. "Now I am an adult." She sighed. "Oh well. I guess since the entire planet is depending on this, I shall transform."

The others exchanged glances. Well, this was going to be fun.

They arrived at the amusement park to find Topaz, Zen, Chile, Bell, Pepper and Cayenne waiting for them.

"You're too late!" Pepper taunted. "We already found it!"

Topaz and Cayenne were in the air, circling around the glowing orb of Mew Aqua, both grinning as they slowly approached it. Pie and Rin took to the air, hoping to get to it before the other two could. Suddenly, all four leapt for it.

"OW!" Pie, Rin, Topaz and Cayenne all cried out at once as they held their heads, followed by some choice words from Pie and Cayenne as they all rubbed their foreheads where they each had collided with the other three.

"Where'd it go?" Topaz asked as she looked around. They saw the Mew Aqua glow in the air, flying over the Ferris wheel and roller coasters.

They all followed it and watched as the Mew Aqua suddenly plummeted…

Right into the ball pit.

The Tokyo Defenders, Bell, Pepper, Zen, Chile, Topaz and Cayenne all stared from the edge of the pit.

"It's in there somewhere," Lettuce muttered. "I can feel it."

Bell and Pepper exchanged devious glances and, while Cayenne was studying the surface layer of balls, they shoved on the small of his back, sending him into the balls with a small cry of surprise. Topaz, Chile and Zen laughed along with the twins—who high-fived each other—and Cayenne turned red. Topaz held her hand out for him to pull him out, but Cayenne suddenly grinned, taking her hand and pulled Topaz in with him. She screeched as she fell in, but she was soon laughing.

"Hey, we're not going to find the Mew Aqua standing around, letting those two have all the fun," Rōzu said, grinning.

"I refuse to get in there," Pudding said, crossing her arms. "I am an adult. And adults do not do childish things like—Hey, hey put me down, put me down now!"

But it was too late. Kish had slung Pudding over his shoulder, flying them directly over the ball pit by a few inches.

Then, Kish suddenly stopped floating and Pudding screamed as they fell in.

They were suddenly joined in by their teammates, Bell, Pepper, Chile and Zen.

"What was that for?" Pudding demanded, glaring at Kish, who grinned. He picked up one of the small balls and threw it at Pudding, but she ducked and it hit Zakuro. With a playful glare, Zakuro grabbed a ball and threw it back at Kish, who teleported, so the ball went over to hit Topaz, who turned sharply, grinning mischievously.

"Oh, it is on," She said as she picked up a green ball and tossed it lightly into the air before catching it again.

Mew Aqua and enmity temporarily forgotten, both sides laughed as they threw the plastic balls around at not only their enemies, but also their teammates.

"This isn't a very adult thing to do!" Pudding finally yelled as she launched a yellow ball at Chile's head.

"Yeah, that's true," Kish said, as he leaned back, arms folded behind his head lazily. He grinned. "But a wise man once said 'There's no point in being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes.'"

"Who said that?" Mint asked before being hit by a ball thrown by Ichigo.

"The Fourth Doctor," Kish said with a smirk.

Pudding smiled and started throwing balls with more energy.

"What the heck are you doing?"

They all looked up to see Mylo and Jalapeno floating above them, looks of confusion on their faces.

"Where's the Mew Aqua?" Mylo asked.

They all looked at each other, embarrassed. They had completely forgotten about what they got in the ball pit for in the first place.

"Uh," Zen said, flying out of the ball pit from where he had been beside Rirī, the two wordlessly having teamed up to attack the others. "It's gone."

"Gone." Mylo repeated, looking ticked off.

"Yeah," Bell said as she floated out as well. "Funny how it never wants to be caught. Well, good-night."

With that, she teleported away, followed by her sister, brothers, Topaz and Zen. Mylo pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Bakas…" He whispered before disappearing as well.

"So…" Ichigo said. "I guess we have to get out of here now."

"Probably should," Rin said as she started climbing out.

"Well, that was fun," Rirī said as they walked out the park a few minutes later. While the others agreed with her, Pudding hung her head sadly.

"What's wrong, Puds?" Tart asked, taking her hand.

"I know what I'm not," Pudding said. "I'm not a cute little kid, but I'm not a grown-up either. So what am I?"

"You're Pudding," Ichigo said. "Pure and simple as that."

Pudding shook her head.

"That's not it," She said. She frowned. "I need to find out who I am."

"Sounds like you're going through an identity crisis," Zakuro commented.

Pudding suddenly jerked her head up, grinning.

"Then to get through this, I'm going to have to find my identity!" She said. She took off running down the street. "See you all tomorrow!"

The others were left standing there, bewildered. Then, Pie groaned,

"We are going to go through this again tomorrow, are we not?" He asked.

No one had an answer. Or particularly wanted the question answered.

They could only wait for the morning to find out.

Tart walked up to the door holding his breath. His knock was soon answered with a creak of the door. His eyes widened.

Standing before him was Pudding…

In full Gothic Lolita.

She wore a long-sleeved knee-length black dress with a skirt full of ruffles and lace around the sleeves, white knee-high stockings with little black bows and ribbon around the knee, mid-calf black boots with white ribbons, a black ribbon around her neck with a silver cross hanging from it and a white headband with black lace edging and two little black bows. Her lips were red and she wore dark eye make-up. In her hand in addition to her school bag was a black lace parasol.

"Lolita." Tart said, blinking. "Gothic Lolita. You couldn't just go Goth, you had to go Gothic Lolita."

"Something wrong with that?" Pudding snapped. She put up her parasol and grabbed Tart's hand, dragging him along.

"Why Goth?" Tart asked.

"I am no longer kawaii. Therefore, I must be the opposite of kawaii," She said blandly. "Therefore, Goth."

"That logic would work if you didn't choose Gothic Lolita," Tart said. Pudding glared at him.

Tart sighed.

_This is going to be a long day._

And so it was. Pudding spent the whole day being dark, grim and generally a dark cloud. She didn't smile all day and glowered at everyone. She actually suggested painting the walls black, and was angry when no one agreed with her.

"Uh…" Lettuce said, stopping dead as Pudding entered the Café, followed by Tart.

"Don't ask," Tart said.

Keiichiro approached Pudding, carrying a beige version of her Café uniform. She looked at it briefly, then glanced up at Keiichiro.

"Does this come in black?" She asked.

"Uh…" Keiichiro said. "I think so. I'll look into it."

Pudding nodded, somewhat satisfied. She simply took her apron and tied it around her.

Pudding's dark cloud seemed to extend over the entire Café, confirmed when they heard thunder rumble overhead.

"She's scarier than Zakuro and Pie combined, no offense you two," Kish said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

Everyone was quiet, looking away from him. To Kish's confusion, even Pie and Zakuro were doing this, not looking ticked off in the slightest.

Kish frowned, then his eyes widened.

"She's right behind me, isn't she?" He whispered, his voice full of fear.

The others nodded slowly.

Kish sweat-dropped and smiled like an idiot as he slowly turned to face a furious Pudding.

"Hi, Pudding, you look—please don't hurt me!"

Pudding had just raised her serving tray above her head, about to hit Kish with it when…

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Rin!" They all said simultaneously, running into the kitchen, finding Rin standing on one of the barstools there, shaking.

"What's wrong?" Rirī asked. Rin raised a trembling hand and pointed to the other side of the room.

"Rat!" She squeaked.

"That is not a rat, that is a mouse," Pie corrected when he saw it scurrying across the floor.

"I don't care what it is, get it out of my kitchen, now!" Rin said, making it clear that she was not going to leave the safety of her barstool, but not yet ready to teleport out of there to make sure her kitchen survived the experience.

The little gray mouse looked up to see three large teenage boys surround it and tilted it's head in confusion.

"On the count of three, we jump it," Masaya said as he, Shinji and Kish slowly moved in closer to the mouse. "One…"

"Two…" Shinji said.

"Three!" Kish yelled. All three boys leapt, but by the time their feet had left the floor, the mouse had scurried away, letting them land hard on the floor on top of each other.

"I've got it!" Lettuce said, brandishing a broom, trying to encourage the mouse to the door. Instead of the door where Zakuro and Homare were waiting to usher it out, the mouse scurried around the floor, underneath the sink. Pie tried to crawl underneath, but the mouse then ran out past him, causing Pie to hit his head on the bottom of the sink with a hiss of pain as he tried to go after it.

Then, the mouse stopped and looked up at Ichigo, who had a Cheshire cat grin as she crouched down, tail behind her flicking through the air, ears on high alert.

"You're not getting away from me, little mousy, nya," She whispered in a sing-song voice.

The mouse suddenly turned, running through the kitchen. Ichigo chased it around, her cat-genes thoroughly enjoying the hunt. Suddenly, Ichigo jumped, getting her hands on the mouse. She instantly rolled on her back and batted the surprised mouse from hand to hand, her eyes wide with excitement and her little fangs out, which were slowly moving towards the mouse...

"Ichigo! Drop it!" Masaya suddenly yelled, seeing what Ichigo was about to do. She looked up at him with a look of innocent confusion. She truly did look like an actual kitten in the moment.

"Bad neko! Drop the mouse!" Masaya scolded as Ichigo got onto her knees. Reluctantly, Ichigo dropped the mouse into Masaya's hand. She looked very sad that her toy was gone. The mouse was very surprised that it got captured, and extremely confused as to why this human girl had a cat tail. While Masaya released the mouse outside, Kish pet Ichigo's ears, which perked her up again as she nuzzled her head against his hand, purring. Suddenly, Ichigo snapped back into human-mode when she heard a noise coming from the doorway.

Pudding stood there, clutching her stomach, laughing hard.

"That," She said through her tears of laughter. "Was so funny! All of it!"

With that she fell to her knees, hardly able to stop laughing. Ichigo climbed to her feet, blushing.

"Glad to see your depression is over," Ichigo grumbled. Pudding stopped laughing and sat bolt upright.

"Oh no," She whispered. She sighed as she looked down at her outfit. "Pudding isn't Goth. Pudding has gone back to talking in third-person. No, this isn't right, na no da. GAH!"

With that, Pudding stormed out of the Café, muttering to herself and running her fingers through her hair.

"Uh…" Rirī said. "What just happened?"

"I have no idea," Zakuro said.

"We'll probably find out tomorrow," Lettuce said.

They just weren't sure they wanted to find out.


	15. Chapter 15

**Extra update for the Summer Solstice! Yay! It is now officially summer! :D**

**Now let's see what will come of the great Pudding identity crisis...**

Chapter Fifteen:

Tart braced himself again the following morning as he knocked on the door to the Fong residence. His eyes widened at Pudding.

Yesterday, Gothic Lolita. Today, punk.

Pudding stood there in ripped black jeans with a teal and black plaid short skirt over-top, a black t-shirt that showed a hint of her stomach and was ripped on the sleeves and near the neckline, her hair in a messy side-ways ponytail with parts of it colored teal. She wore black boots with silver straps, bright make-up and small silver hoops in her nose, lips and eyebrows and a studded dog-collar around her neck. Overall, she was rather frightening.

"Watcha lookin' at?" She demanded.

"Pudding, why did you do this? Pierce practically your entire face and dye your hair?" Tart demanded.

"It's all fake," She snapped. She glared at the sidewalk for a moment. "Daddy… wouldn't let me. Anyways, you going to stand there all day? Move it!"

Tart sighed and allowed himself to be pushed around by Pudding. No one at school was quite sure what to do with her, and for the most part let her be by herself. During music class, she attempted to—and failed epically—to do a guitar solo in front of the whole class… on her recorder... Tart merely sighed and avoided her questions when she asked him if she nailed it.

"You nailed something alright," Tart mumbled when Pudding walked away.

When they got to the Café, Keiichiro—who had been absent from the previous night's mouse chase—went up to show Pudding her new Café uniform, a black Lolita dress with white accents.

"Do you have something in teal, to match my extensions?" Pudding asked, gesturing to her hair.

Keiichiro, being Keiichiro, simply smiled and told her that he would have it ready for her by tomorrow.

Pudding's new look and accompanying attitude made their influence on the Café, to the point that people were once again scared of her. Kish, however, had learned his lesson about voicing this.

"She's really taking this rather hard," Rin said.

"Who knew her not having that 'Kawaii' title could do this to her?" Lettuce said.

"She can have it back," Rōzu said grumpily, her arms over her chest. "I don't want it. It's going to be a nightmare, fighting in public now that everyone sees me as 'kawaii'."

"Well, nothing we can do about that," Mint said, gently tugging on one of Rōzu's braids. "You are kind of cute."

Rōzu huffed, stomping away. Pudding, having overheard this conversation, was even more angry and scarier than before.

After work, Pudding headed out to pick up Heicha and her brothers from daycare. Tart followed, just to make sure that the caregivers would actually give the Fong children over to the scary-looking Pudding. Fortunately for Tart, Pudding allowed him to walk beside her and didn't order him to leave her alone.

Pudding and Tart left their shoes at the entrance of the day-care and went down the hall. The door opened and they heard five little voices call out,

"ONEE-CHAN! TARU-TARU!"

Heicha latched herself onto Tart's chest while the four boys skidded to a stop before they could get their arms around Pudding. They glanced at each other nervously and started backing away, going over to their cubbies without a word. Pudding's brow furrowed. Usually, she had to pry them off and tell them to get their stuff. She looked over at Heicha, who had her face buried in Tart's shirt.

"Come on, Heicha, climb off Taruto and get your things," Pudding said. "It's time to go."

"No!" Heicha said stubbornly, shaking her head.

"Heicha," Pudding said, frowning. Why was Heicha being so difficult today? She was never difficult… "Come on. I need to get dinner started."

"No! Heicha's not going anywhere with Onee-Chan!" Heicha said, raising her head briefly.

Tart looked down at Heicha and rubbed her back before glancing over at the hurt and angry Pudding.

"And why not?" Pudding demanded.

Heicha squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out.

"BECAUSE ONEE-CHAN SCARES HEICHA LOOKING LIKE THAT!" She yelled before turning to sob against Tart again.

Tart tried to comfort Heicha as best he could as he glanced over at Pudding, who stood with the most shocked and saddened expression he had ever seen on her face as her own tears ran down her cheeks.

Pudding ducked her head, then reached up to let down her hair, taking out the colored extensions and taking off the fake piercings and spiked collar, stuffing them into her bag.

"Heicha-Chan," She whispered, kneeling down on the floor, tears running down her cheeks. "Onee-Chan is sorry she scared you. So, so sorry. Onee-Chan won't do it again, she promises. Can Heicha-Chan forgive Onee-Chan?"

Heicha sniffled, raising her face. She looked at her sister, then up at Tart.

"I think Onee-Chan could use a hug right now," He whispered into her ear. Heicha nodded and climbed out of his arms, running over and embracing Pudding, who continued to cry for a moment as she held her precious little sister to her.

"Heicha forgives Onee-Chan," Heicha whispered as she hugged Pudding as tightly as her small arms would allow.

"So, no more Punk Pudding?" Tart asked as he walked with the six Fongs towards their house, Heicha being carried by Pudding.

"No," Pudding said, looking down at Heicha curled up on her chest. "I still don't have my true identity, but I know I won't do anything to scare Heicha and the boys again."

Tart breathed a sigh of relief. They were all safe…

Or so he thought.

He opened the door to find a Pudding very different from the one from the past two days. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or scared.

First boring adult. Then Goth. Then Punk. And now the complete opposite of all three.

Pudding stood there with a wide, slightly dazed grin. She wore faded blue bell-bottom jeans, a light orange floral-print tunic dress tied with a leather belt, brown sandals, a bandana tied around her wrist, dangly earrings, a leather band around her loose hair, a peace-sign necklace and glasses with pink-tinted lenses.

In other words, overnight Pudding had become a hippie.

"Ohayo, Taruto," Pudding said, throwing her arms around him and kissing his cheek.

"Ohayo, Pudding," Tart said, patting her back gently. He had never had this gentle of a hug from Pudding before. It was an odd experience that he wasn't sure he liked. After a few awkward seconds of Pudding still having her arms around him, Tart said, "Uh, Pudding, we kind of need to get to school."

"Why go to school when there are more freeing, loving things to do, like giving hugs?" Pudding asked.

"Uh…" He wasn't quite sure how to answer that. "Just, come on, please? We'll do something freeing later."

"I was thinking last night, Taruto," Pudding said as they walked down the sidewalk. "See, I was watching this beautiful, majestic animal leap across the ground, scurrying from place to place, thinking about how free it was. But the animal conveyed to me that something was wrong."

"Uh huh…" Tart said, not sure where this was going. Pudding turned to him, a smile still on her face as she said,

"They are being persecuted. They need to be protected, loved. Freed! That's why today, I start the 'Save the squirrel' movement!"

Tart stopped dead, staring at Pudding.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" He said, blinking a few times.

"We're going to save the squirrels, Taruto!" Pudding said. "Every squirrel in the world needs to be safe from the threat of extinction, with a warm nest to go to every-night, able to cross the street without having to worry about cars, plenty of food, equal work opportunities and pensions…"

"Pudding, now what have you been told about accepting candy from strangers?" Tart said, face-palming.

"I do not know what you are talking about," Pudding said, thoroughly confused.

"Well, I don't know what you're talking about!" Tart said exasperatedly. "Squirrels are in no way shape or form endangered! Giving squirrels a pension, what exactly would a squirrel do with a pension?"

"It is up to the individual squirrel to decided what they do with their money," Pudding said. She grabbed Tart by the arm and led him down the sidewalk "Now, come along, Taruto. I'll tell you about the venues I had in mind for our first rallies promoting squirrel protection. It's all going to be so far out, man…"

The rest of the day was a nightmare. Pudding tried to get the teachers to let her paint flowers on the wall, and when she was told 'no', she kept going about how 'the man was getting them all down'. Then at recess, she refused to come back in until 'every squirrel has an a right to an education'. Finally, Tart, with a big sigh, went out and picked Pudding up, slinging her over his shoulder and taking her back inside despite her protests that 'the man was controlling him'.

As soon as the two walked in to the Café, Keiichiro approached Pudding, a teal, artfully ripped uniform in his hand. Pudding instantly backed away, waving her fingers at it.

"Whoa… bad vibes, man, bad vibes! Got that in tie-dye with groovy colors?"

"Tie-dye," Keiichiro repeated. He smiled but sighed. "I can have it by tomorrow."

Both staff and customers could agree that they liked Flower-Child Pudding better than the other three personas from the previous days. This did nothing to change the fact that they were all annoyed about how she went on and on about saving squirrels, and she was adamant that she would do so despite Masaya, Homare and Ryou all taking her aside and explaining that squirrels were in no way shape or form an endangered species.

"Do you see any Mew Mews with squirrel DNA? No, because squirrels are not a Red Data animal!" Ryou finally yelled.

"And if we don't take action now, they will be!" Pudding yelled back in her best rally voice.

"Uh, I hate to interrupt," Keiichiro said. "But, uh, Chimera Animal."

With sighs, the Tokyo Defenders transformed and were ready for battle….

Except for Pudding.

"Aren't you coming?" Lettuce asked Pudding, who sat Indian style on the floor, her arms crossed and her eyes closed.

"No way, man. I'm a woman of peace. I don't fight." She said.

The other's looked at each other.

"Just bring her anyway," Ichigo said with a sigh. Pie nodded and picked Pudding up, holding her under his arm, her arms still crossed over her chest, not complaining about what was happening against her will.

They teleported to the location of the battle and Pie set Pudding down on the ground before pulling out his fans.

While the Defenders fought, Pudding called out things like, "Violence is not the means to an end!" and "SAVE THE CHIMERA ANIMAL!"

Apparently, she had chosen a new 'species' to save.

"Uh…" Cayenne said, his brow furrowed as he glanced over at Pudding, now marching around with a sign that read 'Save the Chimera Animals!' (they all briefly wondered where it had come from, then decided not to ask). Cayenne wasn't the only one on his team confused by Pudding's behavior. "What up with the monkey girl?"

"It's best to do what we've been doing for the past three days: don't ask," Rin said as she threw her fan.

Tart fought with Chile hand-to-hand, though admittedly Chile was cheating as he had a dagger in one hand.

"Ah!" Tart grunted as he drew away from the fight, clutching his chest. He removed his hand and saw his own scarlet blood there from a gash that went from his right shoulder to the left side of his ribs. It was deep enough that it needed to be tended to, but shallow enough that it wasn't gravely serious.

Pudding stopped dead in her tracks as she waved around her sign. She saw red, literally and figuratively as she saw Tart's wound.

Her sign clattered to the ground and Chile turned to her at the sound, seeing her with her head bowed.

"Chile hurt Taruto," She said softly, yet everyone heard it. She raised her head, grinning evilly as she reached up to cast the rose-tinted glasses aside. "Chile will die now. MEW MEW PUDDING, METAMORPHO-SIS!"

Chile paled slightly as Pudding transformed and gulped.

He had a feeling that this was about to be very painful.

And he was right.

Both the Tokyo Defenders and Mylo's team stopped to watch Pudding unleash several 'Ribbon Pudding Ring Infernos' as well as her own Kung-Fu moves on Chile as he tried to fight back. And failed quite epically.

"Well." Mint said. "So much for being a pacifist."

"And… so much for that persona," Tart said, wincing as Rirī examined his wound.

Mylo sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

"As entertaining as this has been, we're going, and taking Chile with us," Mylo said. Jalapeno teleported, grabbing Chile and making a hasty retreat before Pudding could follow. Within seconds, Mylo, Topaz, Zen, Cayenne, Bell and Pepper were gone too.

Pudding ran over to Tart.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"I'm fine," Tart said from where he sat on the ground, slightly dizzy from the blood loss.

"This is going to need stitches, and an hour or two in the medpod, but other than that, you'll be fine," Rirī said comfortingly to both Tart and Pudding. "Come on, let's go."

A half-hour later found a very drugged up and groggy Tart lying on the counter in the Café kitchen, with Rin and Keiichiro griping about how their kitchen could not keep being used as an operating room while Rirī cleaned and stitched up Tart's wound.

Pudding stood beside Tart, holding his hand and running her fingers through his hair as he drifted back and forth between sleep and being awake.

"So, I guess this means you're identity isn't a hippie either, then, huh?" Tart said sleepily to Pudding, who sighed.

"Guess not," She said.

"That's okay," Tart said as he fell asleep. "We didn't need another Tree-Hugger. Masaya and Homare are more than enough."

Pudding smiled wryly.

"Yeah. I guess so," She said, gently patting his hair. "Don't worry, I'll figure something out."

Though he hadn't wanted to, a bleary-eyed Tart got up early for soccer practice the following morning, despite his attempts to get Pie or Rin to call him in sick. However, his chances were dashed when Rirī examined him and said that he was completely healed.

So Tart was now trudging up the path to the Café, tired, dirty and sweaty after a morning of rough practice. He groaned to himself, wondering vaguely what Pudding was going to be waiting for him. When he opened the door, he was greeted with,

"Yo, Taruto!"

Tart blinked.

Pudding stood there in faded blue jeans, a white and gray striped long sleeve shirt, a dark gray tank top, a gray plaid jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, converse sneakers, a gray scarf, a black beanie hat and big black plastic glasses.

"Hipster?" Tart said dryly. "Really?"

"Yeah," Pudding said. "Isn't it so deck?"

"Seriously where do you get all these outfits?" Tart demanded.

"Oh, there's this Identity Crisis thrift store down the road, I just go there and trade outfits," Pudding said with a grin.

Everyone blinked.

"And here I thought the idea of that store was stupid and no one would ever go there," Ichigo said, sweat-dropping some.

Tart's right eye and ear twitched. He was seriously ticked off now.

"That. Is. It." He growled. "I'm done with the personas!"

He went over and grabbed Pudding's wrist and teleported away with her, she looking confused and disturbed. Within seconds, they were in their school. Neither were particularly surprised to see that the others had followed, curious. Tart materialized a strip of dark-colored cloth into his hand and took off Pudding's fake glasses, blindfolding her.

"What are you doing, Taruto?" Pudding demanded. "This is so fin."

"Stop talking like a hipster!" Tart snapped. He grabbed Pudding's wrist again and dragged her down the hall. He stopped her outside a door and went inside, coming out with an outfit on a hanger. He shoved it at Ichigo.

"Take her into the girl's locker room and make her put that on, and keep her blindfold on," Tart ordered. Ichigo led the confused Pudding into the locker room.

Pudding's brow furrowed as she felt unfamiliar fabric replace her denim and cotton.

"Ichigo Onee-Chan, what am I wearing?" Pudding asked.

Ichigo smiled, suddenly realizing what Tart had planned.

"You'll see," She said. "Hold still for a second."

Pudding held still as Ichigo ran a brush through her hair and her brow furrowed as Ichigo styled it with some bands, but she couldn't figure out what the hairstyle was. When Ichigo was done, she led Pudding out into the hall.

"Nice touch, Ichigo," Tart said. He then took Pudding by the hand again and led her down the hall. "Come on, Pudding."

"Where are we going, Taruto?" Pudding asked.

"Pudding, don't call me 'Taruto'," Tart said, his voice gentler than before.

Tart suddenly stopped her and had her stand still.

He stepped behind her and untied the blindfold. When Pudding opened her eyes, her jaw dropped.

"I look so… _kawaii_!" She said, grinning and bouncing on her toes as she looked at her reflection in the mirror in the school theatre's costume room.

She wore a short white skirt with a blue sleeveless top with the school emblem on the front and her hair in pigtails. Tart slipped something into her hands and she looked down and saw blue and white pom-poms there.

She was wearing the school's cheerleading uniform. The uniform she would wear if she made the team that spring.

"This is who you are," Tart said, putting his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her. "Pudding, who is always sweet, always hyper, always loving. Just know that you will always be 'kawaii' to me, no matter what. You're perfect, just the way you are. Nothing is ever going to change that."

"Tart," Pudding whispered as tears filled her eyes. "Pudding doesn't know what to say, na no da."

"Pudding doesn't have to say anything," Tart said, kissing her cheek. "But she does have to do one thing."

Pudding tilted her head cutely, confused again.

"What's that, na no da?" She asked.

Tart grinned.

"Call me 'Taru-Taru'," He said.

Pudding grinned.

"Thank you, Taru-Taru," She said, throwing her arms around him.

The others watched, smiling at the cute couple and relieved to have their Pudding back.

They went back to the café a few minutes later. Keiichiro came out with another new uniform, beautifully tie-dyed with fringe.

"Here you go, Pudding," Keiichiro said, presenting it to her. Pudding smiled but shook her head.

"Arigato, Keiichiro Onii-Chan, but," She said. She then pulled out her own orange uniform. "This is the only uniform Pudding needs, na no da."

Keiichiro looked very confused, but then smiled.

"I couldn't agree more," He said with a laugh as he hugged Pudding.

* * *

**For the record, being the American that I am, I have no idea what the squirrel population is like in Tokyo, or Japan for that matter. I've heard that there aren't as many in Japan as there are here in America and that there is a sub-species of Japanese squirrels, but other than that I know nothing. But for some reason just mentally hearing Pudding yelling about saving squirrels just sounded funny so I stuck with it.**


	16. Chapter 16

**So, as this is my very last week of my class, I will post an update every Monday until mid to late August. After that, it's back to sporadic postings.**

Chapter Sixteen:

Ichigo's tail twitched behind her as she crouched into an attack position.

"Alright, you're not getting away this time," She whispered, staring fixated at the spot where the Mew Aqua was buried.

Behind her, the battle raged, her teammates distracting Mylo and his team so that she could get the Mew Aqua.

She was almost there.

"Ribbon Aqua Arise!" Ichigo called, raising the Mew Aqua Rod straight into the air.

Sure enough, the Mew Aqua rose out of the ground. Ichigo smiled.

"Good job, Ichigo!" Keiichiro said over the headset. "Now just put it into your rod and get the battle finished."

"Hai!" Ichigo said.

She raised her hands to cup the Mew Aqua in her hands.

"Alright!" Ichigo said, grinning.

And then all hell broke loose.

Lettuce screamed as the ground began to shake, and there was a wide rip in the street. Mint took to the air as Rin, Pie, and Tart quickly snatched up the other three Mews and Kish flew to Ichigo to get her off the ground. Suddenly, dark clouds appeared and thunder crashed. A lightning bolt nearly knocked Rin and Zakuro out of the sky. The air became thicker and the trees and flowers around them wilted and died.

"Put it back, Ichigo, put it back!" Ryou yelled suddenly over the headset.

Ichigo didn't think, she just acted, pushing the Mew Aqua back into the ground.

Suddenly, everything went back to normal. The sky cleared, the gap in the street was mended, the plants alive, the air easier to breathe.

Ichigo, Pudding and Zakuro's fur was all standing on end. Mint's feathers were ruffled and Lettuce and Rōzu both stood clutching onto Pie for dear life, and Bell and Pepper were doing the same with Jalapeno and Cayenne respectively. Each of the Cyniclons had at least one ear that was twitching rapidly with wide-eyes. Mylo and his team had left without a word, all speechless and wondering what had just happened.

"What the heck was that?" Tart demanded.

"Come back to the Café," Ryou said.

They teleported directly into the basement, making Homare jump and give a small shriek of surprise, as she was still not used to the Cyniclons popping up out of nowhere.

"So, what just happened?" Zakuro demanded as she de-transformed.

"I have no idea," Ryou said.

"It was similar to what happened when Mylo tried to take the Mew Aqua from Cynnth," Rōzu piped up as she de-transformed as well.

"You're right about that," Keiichiro said. "But there isn't an explanation for why it would react like that here."

"We've got a bigger problem, though," Ryou said. "The Mew Aqua. It's moving."

"Moving?" Came the simultaneous response.

"How?" Masaya asked.

"And more importantly, where to?" Ichigo asked.

"Don't know how, but it seems to be leaving the city, heading south-west." Ryou said. He looked up. "We need to follow it. Everyone go pack a bag. We need to leave as soon as possible."

The others nodded and they went their separate ways.

An hour later, they met up inside again the Café with full backpacks, waiting for Ryou to get a trace on the Mew Aqua. They had decided to have a sleep-over at the Café so they could head out as soon as possible in the morning.

"Pudding can't wait to go swimming, na no da!" Pudding exclaimed cheerfully as she came out of the locker room in her yellow pajamas.

"We don't know if we're going swimming or not yet, Pudding," Zakuro said as Mint braided her hair. "Ryou said to bring a swimsuit in case we have to go swimming in order to find the Mew Aqua."

"And it looks like we're going swimming," Ryou said as he came up from the basement. "The Mew Aqua is on Kyushu Island, near Lake Ikeda."

"Lake Ikeda!" Keiichiro said, popping his head out of the kitchen, grinning widely.

The Mews and Ryou groaned.

"At a time like this, you're seriously wanting to go monster hunting?" Mint said exasperatedly as she tied off Zakuro's braid.

"Well, you all get to go monster hunting all the time," Keiichiro said.

"No, the monsters come to us, we don't deliberately go out looking for them," Lettuce said as she ran a brush through her hair.

"Uh, what monster?" Tart asked.

"Issie!" Keiichiro said excitedly. "The Lake Ikeda Monster!"

"The what now?" Rirī said, blinking as everyone stared at him.

"It's like the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, but smaller," Zakuro said. "Supposedly, Lake Ikeda is haunted by this monster."

"It is, and this time I'm going to see her myself!" Keiichiro said, a gleam in his eye.

"Rin, your boyfriend's a nerd," Kish said to Rin.

"I'm well aware of that Kisshu, but thanks for that," Rin said, whacking her brother upside the back of his head.

"You must understand, he more or less has a degree in studying things like Issie and Bigfoot and stuff like that," Ryou said. "So, he goes a little crazy when there's a chance at finding some mythical creature that in the end is nothing more than a Chimera Animal that was left here by the original Cyniclons and has somehow managed to survive this long."

"They're not all Chimera Animals, and I'll prove it, too!" Keiichiro said.

"You were the one to prove that they were Chimeras in the first place," Ichigo pointed out, sweat-dropping slightly.

"Wait, I thought you had a degree in genetic engineering," Masaya said.

"I do, as well as a biology and zoology degree," Keiichiro explained. "That's as close as you can get to having a cryptozoology degree, since that isn't a program any college in the world offers."

"Yeah, I wonder why?" Ichigo muttered.

"Wait, so you can really go to school, study all that stuff, and then go around the world hunting for mythical creatures like Bigfoot, yetis, kappas and dragons?" Homare asked, eyes wide.

Keiichiro nodded. Homare's eyes widened more.

"I am now seriously reconsidering what I am going to do with my life…" She said, her voice distant.

"Don't," Shinji said in a low voice. "Remember, he's now stuck making cakes in a girly café, and the only answer for his mythical monsters is 'aliens'. Ow!" Shinji rubbed the back of his head where Keiichiro had struck him.

"Those cakes go towards your paycheck, just remember that," Keiichiro said, giving him a short glare. "And as you've been one of these alien-created monsters, you can't deny their existence."

Ryou rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's go to bed. The first train leaves at six thirty tomorrow morning," He said.

They all groaned at the thought of getting up early on a Saturday, but headed to bed.

It was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon when they reached Lake Ikeda. Mint, Shinji, Ryou and Zakuro went to meet someone at the docks bringing a boat (Mint insisted that she be the one to provide the boat and Ryou knew she was too stubborn to argue) while the others walked around town window-shopping and renting scuba diving gear.

"This place is so pretty," Rōzu said as they headed back towards the lake. "It must be nice living here all the time."

"I wonder what the water's going to feel like," Rin said.

"If it's anything like Tokyo Bay this time of year, it's going to be cold," Ichigo said.

"Oh, that's really encouraging to get in the water for a few hours," Rirī said with a shiver.

Just then, Keiichiro's phone rang.

"Moshi-Moshi?" He said. He nodded a few times and said, "We'll be right over." And hung up.

"They have the boat," He said to the others. "Let's go."

They all quickly finished their tasks and headed off. When they got to the docks, their jaws dropped with surprise. They had not expected to see a luxury yacht waiting for them. It was clear by the looks on their faces that Ryou, Zakuro and Shinji were just as surprised.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Rōzu said as she was helped aboard by the deckhand.

Mint sighed from where she lounged on a beach chair, she and Zakuro already in their bathing suits and wearing sunglasses while Ryou and Shinji wore t-shirts and their swim-trunks.

"It's a little small, I know. I tried to get the larger one, but unfortunately Seiji needed to use it for a business function this weekend." She said. Everyone stared at her in shock again. There were four decks on the yacht and it was over two hundred feet long.

And there was a _larger_ one like this?

"But at least it's big enough that we won't have to find a place to camp or get a hotel," Mint continued as she stood up, taking off her sunglasses and folding them in her hand. She gestured that they all follow her and she led them inside the boat towards the cabin she would be staying in, which had a large office to the side.

"This will be our main base," She said. "The crew doesn't know what we are here looking for, they only believe that we are just on a scuba-diving trip. No one is allowed in here except for us. We have eight guest cabins and each has a queen-sized bed. If you'll step out into the hall, the stewardess will show you to the rooms you've been assigned. Come back here once you're settled and ready to get in the water. I'll have the captain take us onto the lake now."

Everyone walked out of the suite in a bit of shock. The stewardess led them down the halls as they felt the boat leave the dock.

The rooms were large and spacious. Each had a queen-sized bed, a closet, dresser, nightstands, a small fridge, a bathroom with a large tub, a loveseat, a television, a phone and a desk with things for writing and different outlets for charging technological devices. Ichigo and Kish were assigned a suite, as was Pudding and Tart, Lettuce and Pie, Rin and Keiichiro, Zakuro and Ryou, Homare and Masaya and Rirī and Rōzu while Shinji was in the owner's suite with Mint.

"I knew Mint was rich, but I didn't ever think she was _this_ rich," Kish said as he went through his bag, searching for his dark green swim-trunks.

"She does a good job of hiding it, but occasionally she'll do something like this that brings it all back to reality," Ichigo said as she pulled out her pink bikini from her own bag. "Though, it really was nice of her to do this and arrange for this to be brought here on such short notice."

After they took turns changing in the bathroom, Kish and Ichigo left their cabin to go back to Mint and Shinji's cabin, where the others were starting to gather.

Keiichiro, Homare, Masaya and Shinji started setting up equipment. The humans dug out the scuba gear they had rented while Keiichiro showed the Cyniclons some of the underwater sonar equipment. Finally, when they were ready, Lettuce quickly transformed. She pulled on a long white bathrobe to hide her Mew uniform, though there was little they could do to hide her hair, ribbons and the fact that she was wearing boots.

"We've divided the lake into sectors," Masaya said, showing the divers the map. "Two people per sector." He pointed to a certain spot on the map. "This is the deepest part of the lake. Pie and Lettuce have already said that they will take on that area, and Kish and Ichigo and Mint and Rirī will have the sectors adjacent to it. Zakuro and Ryou, Pudding and Tart, and Rin and Rōzu will take on the other three sectors."

"I've adjusted the volume on the headsets for being underwater, but tell me if I need to change it," Homare said, in particular to the Cyniclons, whose sensitive ears required different settings for the earpieces she had created than those of the humans. Together, they all went out to the deck.

"Good luck!" Keiichiro said before they started diving into the water.

"It's cold down here!" Ichigo complained through the headset.

"Sorry, can't do anything about that," Masaya said as he adjusted something on his laptop screen.

"Cat genes don't like cold," Ichigo grumbled.

"Neither do birds," Mint said with a shiver. "Now I see why they all go south for the winter."

"Hey, quit yapping and start looking," Ryou said.

They were all silent for a moment, then Keiichiro said softly,

"Hey, uh, Mew Aqua's great and all, but if you happen to see any signs of Issie…"

"We'll be sure to let you know Keiichiro," Zakuro said dryly while Masaya, Homare and Shinji face-palmed.

Lettuce held onto Pie's hand as they traveled deeper into the water, their visibility limited.

"You see anything?" Lettuce asked.

"Not yet," Pie said. Suddenly, he turned around in the water. "But I hear something…"

Lettuce froze. It was movement, not hers or Pie's, nor was it the waves above and was too big to be a fish or one of the long eels that Lake Ikeda was known for.

But then Lettuce's Mew Mark started to glow pale green. She gasped in surprise and Pie instantly turned to look at her.

"Lettuce?" He said softly, momentarily blinded by the glow.

"The Mew Aqua," Lettuce gasped. "It's close. I can feel it."

She turned her head, down towards the sandy bottom of the lake. There, glowing just as brightly as Lettuce's Mew Mark, was an orb of Mew Aqua.

Lettuce and Pie glanced at each other then began swimming towards it.

Lettuce got a little closer, resting her feet on the muddy bottom of the lake, her eyes transfixed on the Mew Aqua in front of her. She raised her hands, cupping the Mew Aqua between her palms.

Suddenly, something large swam in front of Lettuce, dislodging the Mew Aqua from her hands. Lettuce screamed and Pie pulled her to him protectively, pulling out one of his fans and aiming it at the creature, now circling them.

"Lettuce? Pie? What's going on?" Homare asked worriedly. Neither responded.

"Hang on, Ichigo and I are coming!" Kish said over the communication system.

"What is that?" Lettuce asked as the large creature stared at them as it circled. It appeared to be an odd combination of reptile and mammal, with a long neck and fins.

"If I had to take a guess," Pie said, frowning. "I would say it is the Lake Ikeda monster."

"Death by Issie," Lettuce said. She gave a nervous laugh. "Great."

"You guys are being attacked by Issie?" Keiichiro said, sounding excited. "You, uh, wouldn't be able to take some pictures of her would you?"

"We will be sure to do that if your lake monster does not _eat_ us first!" Pie snapped.

Issie suddenly stopped circling. She stared right at Lettuce, who was now trembling.

Issie got in closer to them, but Pie pulled Lettuce away.

"We are going to have to abandon the Mew Aqua," Pie said, keeping an eye on the monster, fan still raised. Issie kept getting closer and Pie kept swimming backwards, his arm around Lettuce's waist. "I am going to teleport us back to the boat."

"Wait."

Pie looked down at Lettuce, who had stopped trembling. Carefully she extracted herself from Pie's grasp and cautiously swam towards Issie.

"Lettuce, no!" Pie said, reaching out to grab her.

Lettuce stood on the lake floor, Issie hovering over the muddy ground before her, her head at the level of Lettuce's. Though Issie was considered a smaller beast, that didn't take away from the fact that her head was twice the size as Lettuce's, and nearly three times as long as Lettuce's height.

"You… you want to talk with me…" She whispered.

Issie nodded.

"But, we have to wait for Kish?" Lettuce said, confused. Again, Issie nodded. Lettuce nodded slowly, comprehending. "So you want me because I'm infused with a sea creature and Kish because of his skills with Chimeras?"

Issie nodded again. Issie looked up and Lettuce turned as they saw Kish and Ichigo swimming to them.

"What's going on?" Ichigo asked, glancing at Pie.

"I have no idea," Pie admitted.

Issie looked at Kish. He blinked, but then he went over to stand beside Lettuce.

Issie looked at both of them, and then turned. She turned her long neck and beckoned for Lettuce and Kish to follow her.

"We'll be back," Kish murmured. Ichigo started to follow, but Pie grabbed her shoulder.

"It wants to speak with them in private for a reason," Pie said.

"So, you don't think they're in danger?" Ichigo asked. Pie hesitated.

"I trust Kish to get Lettuce and himself out of there quickly if there is trouble," He said at last.

Ichigo nodded and watched as the three swam away, standing alone with Pie. They stayed silent, neither able to take their minds off what could be facing Lettuce and Kish and neither wanting to voice their concerns out of fear that they may just be right.

* * *

**Yes, there really is a Lake Ikeda Monster known as Issie. I didn't make her up for the story. Josh Gates and the Destination Truth team went looking for her once, too.**

**You know how some families will sit around and watch movies, or sitcoms, or something like that? Yeah, my family does that with shows like 'Finding Bigfoot' and 'Destination Truth' and 'Ghost Hunters'. We love our ghosties and monsters. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Done with my summer class! Woohoo! So let's see what happens next on this Monster Hunting Expedition of the Tokyo Defenders!**

**Oh, and to answer your question, Sailor Vegeta, I am 99.9% sure that Issie's name is pronounced "Is-sy"**

Chapter Seventeen:

Issie led Lettuce and Kish to an underwater cave. The cave was circular, and there was a stone bench wrapping around the cave. In the middle of the cave was a raised pedestal, on which an orb of Mew Aqua rested.

The two green haired teenagers looked at each other nervously. Why had they been brought here?

Issie beckoned Lettuce and Kish to sit. She gave the Mew Aqua a longing look.

[You will have to forgive me for keeping this from you,] She said. [But this… this you cannot have.]

"But we need the Mew Aqua to defeat Mylo," Kish said. Issie shook her head.

[Yes, you need Mew Aqua. But you cannot use this, nor any other piece of Mew Aqua you find in this land.]

"What do you mean?" Lettuce asked.

[You saw what happened when Mew Ichigo captured the Mew Aqua last night,] Issie said. [You believe it only happened in Tokyo. I can tell you that the removal of the power of Mew Aqua was felt from the southern-most islands to the shores of the Okhotsk Sea. If you remove the Mew Aqua to save the Earth, the price you pay is the destruction of Japan, as well as the other elements your sisters seek, Mew Lettuce.]

"How is that possible?" Lettuce whispered.

[There is a large amount of Mew Aqua in every country, two places in the world having a surplus. However, the number of these plentiful places has reduced to one, now that Japan's excess has been put to good use on Cynnth. This amount of Mew Aqua is designed to keep the Earth strong and healthy, despite the abuse and pollution.] Issie turned and looked at Lettuce. [Mew Lettuce, you will find your element outside of the boarders of Japan. You must travel far to find it, but I promise you that your efforts will not be in vain.]

"Where should we go?" Kish asked.

[To the origin. Where it all began,] Issie said

"Which… is where?" Lettuce asked, her brow furrowed.

Issie gave a smile.

[It is not a true quest if all the answers you seek are given to you,] She said.

She nuzzled her snout against Lettuce's Mew Mark.

[Stay strong and brave, my little Mew Lettuce,] She said. [Even when the world around you comes crashing down, stand strong and tall. And most importantly, always believe in yourself.]

She then turned to Kish and looked him in the eye.

[Never let Mylo's words nor those of any other pierce your heart,] She said. [For it is your most valuable asset. Your heart will be tested and put under great duress and go through much pain, but you must keep it strong. Watch over Mew Ichigo and protect her. Her strength will be tested in the weeks to come. She will need someone to lean on.]

Kish looked concerned.

"What's going to happen to Ichigo?" He asked.

Issie shook her head.

[I cannot say, for even I do not know the nature of the trials she will face.] She said. She then started swimming towards the cave entrance. [Come. It is time for me to return you to your respective lovers.]

Ichigo and Pie were waiting where they had been left, worried and silent. They both breathed sighs of relief when they saw Kish and Lettuce.

"Are you alright?" Pie asked, studying Lettuce, who smiled at him.

"I think so," She said. "Come on, let's go back to the boat. We've got a lot of things to talk about…"

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"I can't believe that Issie actually came up right next to our boat," Keiichiro said excitedly as he and the others sat at the table on the deck, eating their dinner. Everyone turned to glare at him. "What?" he demanded.

"Do you mind focusing on something important for a moment?" Ryou asked. Keiichiro frowned but didn't retort. He had been on this hyper-excited streak for the past two hours, since Issie did approach the boat with Lettuce, Kish, Pie and Ichigo. The others' excitement, however, had faded as they turned conversation back to the reason they had come to Lake Ikeda in the first place.

"So, this 'origin'…" Rin said, adjusting the damp towel around her waist. "Do we have any idea where that could even be?"

"'Where it all began,'" Zakuro whispered. "Question is, what 'began'?"

"Life in general?" Pie suggested.

"Human life?" Shinji suggested.

"Cyniclon life?" Rōzu suggested.

"Civilization?" Homare suggested.

"Fighting, na no da?" Pudding suggested.

"Fighting?" Mint repeated, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, our fight against Mylo, na no da," Pudding said.

"That's still in Japan, and Issie said we can't take any more from Japan," Kish said.

Lettuce tilted her head in thought.

"Maybe something that began long before the true fight began," She said. She turned to Ryou. "You once told us that the Mew Aqua Rod was the first thing found related to the Cyniclons from their time on Earth, even before the fossils of Chimeras, right?"

"Right," Ryou said. He took a sip of his drink as he pieced together what Lettuce was saying. "You're saying the origin is with modern humans discovering the existence of the Cyniclons, the discovery of Mew Aqua and the founding of the Mew Project?"

"Exactly what I'm saying," Lettuce said with a nod.

"Where was the Mew Aqua Rod found?" Ichigo asked.

"It was found washed up on the shore of Italy, with some other objects like jewelry and metal-works. The weird thing was, no one recognized the style. It wasn't Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or any other culture in that area. No one could—and still can't—identify the culture it came from. It's been suggested that the artifacts came from Atlantis," Ryou said. He grinned. "But I have another theory."

"The original Cyniclons!" Everyone said together.

"That makes sense," Keiichiro said. "One of the things that washed up was a sword. It looked like it was made in the same style as many Cyniclon swords."

"Sounds like we need to go check out the Mediterranean Sea for Mew Aqua." Mint said.

"I have a friend who's a researcher in that area that can help us out," Ryou said.

"How are we going to explain this one to our parents?" Homare asked. "Mom and Dad didn't like the idea of us going on a weekend trip within the country. They're not going to like us jetting off to Italy for a few days."

"We'll think of something," Keiichiro said.

After they finished eating, they all retreated to their cabins.

Kish started digging around in his bag for his pajamas when suddenly he felt Ichigo's hands rub his back and shoulders.

"How about before we change out of our swimsuits," Ichigo whispered huskily into his ear as she wrapped her arms around his middle, her fingers going over his exposed abdomen muscles. "We take advantage of that big, beautiful hot tub on the upper deck?"

His ears shot straight up and Ichigo gave a small chuckle, knowing that to be a 'yes please!'.

Ichigo then kissed his cheek and stood up, sauntering towards the door. Her kitty tail flicked through the air behind her from where it hung over her bikini bottoms, beckoning him. She glanced over her shoulder, smiling at him.

"Are you coming?" She asked.

"Sorry, had to take a moment to enjoy in the view," Kish said as he leapt to his feet. He swept Ichigo up into his arms (getting a small shriek out of her in the process) and teleported to the top deck. Within minutes, the two sank into the warm water with contented sighs.

Ichigo snuggled into Kish.

"This is much more comforting of a temperature than the lake," She said. As she got comfortable, Kish smirked as he reached up to stroke one of her Ichigo's cat ears. She purred at the touch.

"And here I thought cats hated water," He chuckled. He felt a wet, fuzzy tail wrap around his leg, flicking underneath the water.

"This cat doesn't," Ichigo said, smiling up at him.

Kish began to lower his lips to hers and she tilted her face up to meet his…

They both jumped as they heard pounding footsteps.

"There you two are!" Rōzu yelled as she came onto the deck, her still-damp curls bouncing around her shoulders as she skidded to a stop before instantly turning to run back. "Come on! We've got company!"

Grumbling, Kish rose out of the hot tub, grabbing a towel, then helped Ichigo out. With their towels around their waists, they ran to the main deck, where the others were gathered.

Indeed, there was Mylo and company. All looked tired and stressed out, none of them particularly looking like they could fight for very long.

"Hand over the Mew Aqua!" Mylo yelled at the assembled and untransformed Defenders. Then he blinked in confusion. "Wait, how did you get out here before us?"

"We took the bullet train," Pie said. "And you cannot have the Mew Aqua that is here. And neither can we."

Mylo looked even more confused.

"Huh?" He said.

"If we took the Mew Aqua, then all of Japan—and the other elements we're all trying to find—gets destroyed," Zakuro said, her arms folded over her chest. "You still want it?"

Mylo stared blankly.

"You're telling me," He said. "That we flew all this way, all day, with Bell and Pepper endlessly asking 'are we there yet, are we there yet?', getting lost three times, going in circles twice and nearly getting hit by a human aircraft with spinning swords on top of it just to find that even if we did get this Mew Aqua, it would destroy everything else we're looking for?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Tart said with a shrug. "Sorry."

Mylo's right eye twitched, as did his right ear.

Mylo suddenly dropped out of the air, splashing into the lake. From under the water, they heard an enraged howl.

The others stood around awkwardly.

"This is one of the few times Pudding will ever pity Mylo, na no da," Pudding said softly.

"Mylo-Chan needs a vacation," Topaz said with a sigh. She shrugged. "At least the return trip is faster."

With that, Topaz, Cayenne, Jalapeno, Chile, Zen and the half-asleep twins teleported away.

"So…" Rin said in the moments of silence that followed. "Keiichiro and I found a viable excuse for leaving the country."

"Really?" Ichigo said.

"Yep," Rin said. "There is an international baking contest in Rome next weekend that accepts late entries. Keiichiro and I are entering representing Café Mew Mew and you all are coming as our assistants."

"That's a lot of assistants," Masaya observed.

"The competitors are to make a sampling of different kinds of deserts, so there needs to be a different team focusing on different foods," Keiichiro said. He grinned. "And Rin and I have a lot to choose from our recipe book."

"Free trip to Italy, tasty treats and having a distinct feeling Mylo won't want to follow us after today," Lettuce said. "What could be better?"

Kish and Ichigo scowled, remembering the kiss that had been about to have before being interrupted.

The romantic mood brutally murdered, they both retreated to their room, too exhausted to do anything else.

Ichigo came out of the bathroom, having just finished taking a shower and drying her hair.

"Kish, it's your turn for the-" She started to say, but she cut herself off.

For Kish was lying on his stomach with his face buried in his pillow, snoring away.

Ichigo rolled her eyes, but smiled as she climbed into bed beside Kish. He rolled onto his side, grabbing Ichigo and pulling him towards her, burying his face in her hair.

"Love you, Koneko-Chan," He muttered sleepily.

"I love you, too, Kish," Ichigo whispered. "Good-night."

As she laid there in Kish's arms, she started to think about their upcoming trip to Italy.

A first kiss under the Roman sun…

She smirked as she snuggled into Kish's chest.

_What could be better?_

* * *

**Ichigo: Really?**  
**Me: What?**  
**Ichigo: Seriously, when are Kish and I actually going to get to kiss each other?**  
**Me: Uh... It's coming up real soon!**  
**Ichigo: How soon?**  
**Me: ...**  
**Ichigo: ...**  
**Me: I will make no promises...**  
**Ichigo: I hate you.**  
**Me: No you don't.**


	18. Chapter 18

**So, yeah I'm a day early in updating but I was looking back through old stuff from Alien Uprising and realized that I posted the very first chapter for the story on July 7th. Which is today (or, at least it is in America). Thus, the Alien Uprising trilogy is a year old now. I'm kinda proud of that. But by the same token a little depressed that it's not finished yet. But mostly proud. :)**

Chapter Eighteen:

"We got everything?" Ryou asked as he looked at the piles of bags in the middle of the Café floor.

"Yep, na no da!" Pudding said.

"Wait, where's Rōzu?" Rirī asked.

The pile of bags suddenly moved and Rōzu wriggled out from underneath the pile, holding up her small red backpack, which was to be her carry-on for their flight.

"If I had known everyone was going to start putting their bags on top of mine, I would have kept this closer," She said as Pie picked her up to get her out of the baggage pile.

"Now do we have everything?" Ryou asked as Rōzu's feet touched the floor again.

"I think so," Ichigo said. "Keiichiro and Rin?'

"I think we're good," Rin said. She clutched her sketchpad to her tightly and held a case full of decorating and baking tools while Keiichiro held tightly onto his carry-on bag, which had their recipe book inside.

"Great, then let's head to the airport," Zakuro said.

"I can't believe we're actually going to search for Mew Aqua out of the country," Ichigo said as she put her bag into the back of Ryou's car. "Not just out of the country, out of the _continent_."

"Yeah, I thought it was crazy when we had to go out of the _city_ to look for it," Mint said as she climbed into the car.

"I just hope we find it quick, before Mylo does," Ryou said as he slid into the driver's seat. An hour later, they had cleared security at the airport and were in the air. Several hours later, they had arrived in Rome.

After checking into their hotel and—because there was still daylight and the jet lag hadn't kicked in yet—they did a bit of sightseeing. They saw the Pantheon, Coliseum, St. Peter's Basilica, Trevi Fountain and St. Peter's Square. Finally, after a long day, the Japanese tourists were hungry and extremely grateful that, while none of them spoke Italian, many of the Italians they met spoke English.

So, after a meal of various Italian foods and gelato, it was quite safe to say that the Tokyo Defenders slept very soundly that night.

The next morning after breakfast, the Tokyo Defenders headed to the harbor, where they were going to meet Ryou's friend who was going to loan them his boat.

A tall man with bright red hair, brown eyes and wire-rimmed glasses was on a boat waiting for them.

"James!" Ryou called to his friend, who welcomed them aboard. Ryou introduced them to James Matthews, a English man who did archeological dives in the Mediterranean.

Ryou introduced each of the members of the team. Keiichiro, Zakuro, Masaya and Ichigo—who all spoke a good amount of English—also gave greetings in English. James was particularly surprised to hear English come out of Masaya and Ichigo's mouths, and they explained that they had learned to speak English while studying in England.

-You both speak English very well,- He told them.

-Thank you.- They both said together, pleased that their time spent studying in England and learning the language had paid off.

Then, Kish did something that surprised them all.

-Hello, Mr. Matthews. Thank you for being so generous to lend us your boat,- Kish said, shaking the man's hand.

Everyone stared at him. They weren't sure what they were more surprised about: that Kish had just spoken flawless English, or that he spoke flawless English with a British accent that mirrored James'.

James smiled.

-Now how did a Japanese boy learn to speak English with a British accent?- He asked.

-Got myself hooked on the BBC, and was forced to adapt when I had trouble finding Doctor Who with Japanese subtitles,- Kish said with a grin.

Ichigo stared at him. She grinned and said in English,

-If you had told me that you had an obsession with Doctor Who two years ago, we probably would have gotten together faster,- She said.

-Well, then, allons-y, Koneko-Chan,- Kish said with a smirk as he grabbed Ichigo's hand and pulled her down the deck with her giggling.

"Did you know Kish could speak English?" Lettuce whispered to Pie, who shook his head.

"We are all just as surprised as you are," He muttered.

Shortly after, the crew had set sail, bidding good-bye to James, who wished them luck with their search.

"So, how are we going to find the location of Mew Aqua in the Mediterranean?" Tart asked as he leaned against the ship's railing.

"Honestly? No clue," Ryou said. "At this point, we can only hope we get close enough to get a reaction."

"How are we going to see the glow in the daytime?" Homare asked.

"Again, no clue," Ryou said. "Hopefully, the other indicators will be enough, especially the signal Mew Aqua gives off. How's that going Keiichiro?"

He turned to look over at the table Keiichiro was supposed to be working, scanning for Mew Aqua.

Except, Keiichiro wasn't there.

He and Rin had disappeared.

"Uh, we're short two geniuses," Mint said.

"No, we are not," Pie said with a low growl. He indicated that they follow him, and he led them a little further down the deck. They found Rin and Keiichiro sitting side-by-side on a deck chair, their recipe book spread across their laps and were totally fixated on it.

"Everything is in season, right?" Rin asked as wrote something down on a pad of paper.

"Should be," Keiichiro said. "Do we want vanilla buttercream for this one or chocolate?"

"Chocolate goes better with cherries," Rin said. "We'll do vanilla for the shortcake."

"Ahem," Ryou said, clearing his throat loudly. The two looked up, clearly embarrassed at being caught.

"If you're going to sneak away from a very important mission, could you at least make-out instead of discussing frostings?" Rirī asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"We were going to do that too," Rin muttered as she closed their book and stood up.

"We were just going over everything for the contest tomorrow," Keiichiro said.

"That's great, but can you two take a second and remember that the contest is our cover We're here for another reason," Ichigo said.

With sighs from both of them, Rin tucked the book under her arm and she and Keiichiro went back to the main deck, where Keiichiro sat down in front of his laptop. Rin sat down beside him and resumed looking at the recipe book. The others sighed, seeing that they had lost Rin, but went on with their work.

An hour later, Keiichiro frowned.

"That's odd," He said.

"What is it?" Lettuce asked as she and Mint went over to look over his shoulder.

Keiichiro pointed at the screen.

"There is a land mass that isn't supposed to be there, and it's giving off a signal for Mew Aqua," He said.

"An island?" Shinji asked. Keiichiro nodded.

"But it's not on any map," Keiichiro said. "Uncharted."

"Could it be a private island?" Zakuro asked.

"No, even those are marked on maps," Keiichiro said.

"So… are we going to go check it out?" Rōzu asked.

"Of course we are," Kish said with a smirk.

Ryou led the boat to the island. To their surprise, there was a dock with some small boats, but no one around.

The island wasn't just a ghost town. It was like the island itself was dead: dead trees, no plants, tightly packed dirt and sand, crumbling rocks. It was as if the life was sucked right out of it.

"Hey, look at that, na no da!" Pudding said, pointing at what looked like ruins of a castle.

"We couldn't see that from the water," Rin said. She bit her lip. "I'm not the only one with a bad feeling about this, right?"

"Nope," Zakuro said, frowning as she stared up at the ruins.

"Turn back?" Shinji asked.

"No."

Lettuce, Pie, Ichigo, Kish, Masaya and Homare stared up at the castle, eyes glassy and transfixed, like they were in a trance. Despite the bright sunlight, they saw a blue haze covering their skin.

"The Mew Aqua is in there, isn't it?" Ryou asked as he realized what was going on. Simultaneously, they all nodded and started walking towards the castle.

"Never thought I'd see the day Ichigo willingly walked into a spooky and potentially haunted building," Mint mumbled as they started to follow.

"By the look in their eyes, I'm not so sure it can be exactly called 'willing'," Rirī said softly. No one spoke, wondering if she was right.

Shortly, they stood in front of the ruins. The others quickly realized they needed to step exactly where the ones in the trance had, especially after Pudding nearly fell through an old board on the drawbridge.

As they neared the door, Rōzu paused and tilted her head.

"You hear that?" She whispered. The humans strained their ears, but Rin said,

"Isn't that a violin?"

"Viola," Zakuro said as her wolf-ears found the sound. "It's got a deeper pitch than a violin, but higher than a cello."

The door creaked open at Lettuce's touch and they entered, leaving the door open for light.

From within, they heard a snarl.

"Who dares let sunlight enter our dark abode?"

Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them.

The sound was enough to release Lettuce and the others from their trance, as she let out a small scream.

Rōzu set her fingers ablaze, letting the flames harmlessly cover her entire body. She was the only light source in the room.

Her light caught a pair of glowing yellow eyes in the corner. The viola music still rang, crisp and clear throughout the halls.

Then, the same voice said in a slight hiss,

"Humans…"

"Oh, please, Scarlet, let us have a midnight snack?" A new voice pleaded.

The viola music stopped.

Suddenly, the hall was lit with torches.

It was a large hall, with a grand staircase adorned with a molding carpet. All around them were pale people—men, women and children—with eerie glowing eyes of differing colors: yellow, red, black, ice blue, bright purple, and acid green. And all these eyes—some owners of which were hidden in the shadows or behind pillars—were on the Tokyo Defenders.

"Not all of them are humans, our little fire-lit friend makes that clear," Said a woman from the top of the staircase. She was tall, with scarlet curls that hung around her knees and matching eyes. She wore a long black dress with a tight bodice and a flowing skirt as well as a long black cloak. She had one hand clasped around the head of a viola, and the other holding onto a bow.

"Pures…" A woman with white-blond hair and glowing green eyes hissed with a smirk. In a split second, she was in Rin's face. She took a deep breath, eyes closed. She smiled.

"Untainted by human blood. But not by scent," She said. "They reek of human."

A little girl, no older than Rōzu, giggled in a high pitch.

"I would bet their lips taste human," She said. "By the way that little human clings to the Pure male."

Pudding turned white, but did not let go of Tart, who looked serious with his arms around her.

"Not only are they Pure," A male with pale blue eyes said. "They come from the same clan. Smell the same. Blood siblings."

"Not this one," A raven haired girl said, suddenly appearing behind Kish, her arms around his waist. She licked his ear and Kish shivered, trying to get her off. She leapt away and licked her lips.

"Different blood, but smells the same," She said. "Different mother, different father, but raised in the same clan as the others, as one of their own. Still Pure though…"

"I have never had a Pure before," A teenage boy said, fangs gleaming as he grinned. "Please, Scarlet?"

"Not till they have told me why they have entered the Den of our Coven," The woman with the viola—Scarlet—said, passing the instrument off to a young man before descending the stairs, her skirt flowing around her.

"So," She said as her feet touched the ground as she studied the group. "Why have you come to this place?"

"We are looking for a substance called Mew Aqua," Ichigo said, trying to sound confident. "Our search led us here."

Scarlet's eyes widened.

"Follow me," She said to the Tokyo Defenders. To her Coven, she said, "Touch any one of them, and I will personally tear your head off. Any act against them I will treat as an act against one of our own. You have been warned."

The others backed off, heeding Scarlet's warning. It was clear that Scarlet was not one to be reckoned with.

Scarlet turned and started to ascend the staircase once again, the Defenders following. She led them through the crumbling halls, full of torn tapestries and worn paintings. Then she spoke.

"Forgive my Coven," She said. "We do not get visitors often."

"Imagine that," Ryou muttered.

"You speak Japanese," Mint commented. "Why is that?"

"It is convenient for our Coven. We originally are from Japan, but we came to this island during World War II," Scarlet said. She paused and turned to face them. -I could speak English, if you prefer.- She switched to a language they assumed to be Italian. Then she smirked as she looked at the Cyniclons, throwing them off-guard with what language she spoke next.

(Or would you prefer I spoke in the Ancient Language of our People?)

That was when she brushed back her blood-red curls. There, elven ears sat, smaller and shorter in length than the Cyniclons, but still resembled the aliens'. In the candlelight, they saw slit pupils. The fangs, pale skin…

"What are you?" Rin whispered, her eyes wide.

Scarlet shook her hair to cover her ears again.

"My ancestors were just like you: Pureblood Cyniclons. My Coven and those like it are the result of an attempt to keep our blood untainted by humans. My ancestors were the ones who left Cynnth shortly after arriving, heading back to Earth. It was a family. Three brothers, their wives and children. They were trying to reclaim Earth, in secret and slowly, building up the number of Cyniclons here so that they could take control. Seeing human nobles do this with their children, the Cyniclons had their children marry their cousins and kept repeating the process for several generations. Until… the results were neither purely Cyniclon, nor anywhere near human. They were frightening. Terrifying. The blood, strived to be so pure, had become tainted in a way that could not be fixed. Instead of _being_ pureblood, they _craved_ blood."

"So… you're vampires?" Homare squeaked out, trembling.

Scarlet nodded. The Tokyo Defenders all gulped. Was Scarlet leading them away to have her own private banquet?

"I will not harm any of you, nor consume your blood, as tempting as it is." Scarlet explained. "Because of your search for the Mew Aqua. I, and every leader of this Coven before me, has been protecting what of the Mew Aqua we have for centuries, as our ancestors—the Pure Cyniclons—came to Earth to do, though our reasons for doing so today are much more noble. Our predecessors learned the secret of the Mew Aqua and wanted it for themselves, to defeat the humans when they could have used it on the new planet the others of their race would call 'home'. They wanted to be hailed as heroes, the saviors of the former mighty Cyniclon Empire. But, to be bluntly accurate, they were cowards.

"They could not even begin to attempt to survive the conditions on Cynnth. So they abandoned their own people, saying that they would reclaim Earth. Instead, they stayed here, not telling their people that the planet was once again at its former glory. They wanted to gain control over the humans, over the planet, and wanted to use the Mew Aqua to do so. However, their attempts failed because of their selfishness. They brought their failure—and the mutation of their children—upon themselves. Only recently have we realized that those who are pure at heart, with unselfish goals can control and use the Mew Aqua. Until then, our Coven has jealously protected the Mew Aqua, hiding it away for ourselves. The crown jewel that we can never wear. But it has called you, and therefore it is yours."

"You're just going to give it to us, like that?" Kish asked, surprised.

Scarlet nodded and smiled.

"Like that," She said as she pushed open a large wooden door.

They all gasped.

The floor was covered with broken glass, and Topaz stood in the middle of the room beside a stone pedestal. In her hand was a large orb of Mew Aqua.

"I'll be taking this," She said, smirking.

"Not happening!" Ichigo snapped, grabbing her pendant out of the pocket of her skirt. "Tokyo Defenders, let's go!"

"MEW MEW MINT!"

"MEW MEW LETTUCE!"

"MEW MEW PUDDING!"

"MEW MEW ZAKURO!"

"BATTLE-FORM PIE!"

"BATTLE-FORM RINDOU!"

"BATTLE-FORM LILY!"

"BATTLE-FORM TARUTO!"

"BATTLE-FORM ROSE!"

"MEW MEW ICHIGO!"

"BATTLE-FORM KISSHU!"

"METAMORPHO-SIS!" "TRANSFORMATION!" "REVOLUTION!" "FUSION!"

Topaz's smirk grew.

"You're not going to win this time," She said.

She threw a parasite at the wall and the old stone work crumbled, making a large hole in the side of the wall, letting in sunlight. Scarlet let out a cry and hid in the hallway. Topaz leapt out of the window and flew to the cliff-side below, where Mylo and the others were waiting. The Tokyo Defenders followed, but Lettuce lingered.

"Will your Coven help us fight?" Lettuce asked Scarlet, who poked her head into the doorway, shielding her eyes from the light. She shook her head.

"We cannot enter the sunlight," She said. "I wish you luck, though. I hope for all of our sakes that you can recover the Mew Aqua, Mew Lettuce."

Lettuce nodded.

"Thank you," She said, turning to follow her teammates when Scarlet called,

"Wait."

Lettuce turned back to Scarlet, who grabbed her wrist.

"Your heart is pure, unselfish and true, gentle and loving," She said, looking deeply into Lettuce's green eyes. "The Mew Aqua is your element. Help the others find theirs. But first, you must reclaim the Mew Aqua."

Lettuce nodded and Scarlet let her go. Scarlet stood in the shadows, gazing out over the cliff at the battle that had ensued, full of Chimeras and the sound of battle-cries.

"Good luck, Mew Lettuce," Scarlet whispered.

Lettuce ran through the battle, determined to get to the Mew Aqua. She ducked a Ribbon Mint Echo and dodged the duel between Kish and Mylo, breathing heavily, desperate to get to the two pink-haired girls at the rocky edge of the cliff. Ichigo had her Mew Aqua Rod in hand, but despite calling the Mew Aqua to the Rod, the Mew Aqua would not leave Topaz's hand.

Topaz smirked.

"Sorry, kitty, but this seems to want to come with us," She said. With that, the hand not holding the Mew Aqua brought out a parasite, throwing it into the sea below.

A large, octopus-like monster emerged. One 'arm' hit Ichigo, knocking her to the side, unconscious, her Mew Aqua Rod laying several feet away.

Topaz smirked at Lettuce, who stood frozen, not sure what to do to get the Mew Aqua away from Topaz.

"So," The pink-haired Cyniclon girl said. "This is the first time we've been face-to-face, sashimi. I must say, I am everything but impressed. You are a fool, attempting to take Pie away from me. He is mine, has always been and will forever be mine. You aren't even at the level of being considered 'competition'."

Lettuce froze as Topaz circled her, the Cyniclon girl studying the Mew with a critical eye, her smirk growing wider, more vindictive every time she found a fault.

"I mean, what could he possibly see in you? Plain face, dingy hair, overall human, nothing special about you. The only thing you've got going for you is a nice figure, but let's face it: mine's better. Look at me, I'm gorgeous. You can barely pass for 'pretty'. I'm everything you're not. So why do you think for even a moment that you are good enough to have Pie's love? You're not. What could he possibly see in you? Why would he even love you?"

Lettuce trembled, barely holding back her tears at Topaz's hurtful words.

Why did Pie choose her?

She glanced over at Pie, fighting back-to-back with Rin.

Pie.

Her boyfriend.

Her first kiss.

Her White Knight.

Her true love.

She closed her eyes and Topaz let out a cry of surprise as the orb in her hand began to glow.

Lettuce's eyes snapped open, her body glowing like the Mew Aqua.

"Here is your answer, Topaz," Lettuce said, her eyes glowing pale green. "Pie loves me because I am beautiful in ways that you will never be. My heart is unselfish, pure and loving. I may not be beautiful in the eyes of others, but my beauty overshadows yours in Pie's eyes. I know this, can _see_ this, every time he looks at me. Every time he smiles at me. Every time he hugs me, protects me, kisses me.

"I am beautiful because I am me. _That_ is why Pie loves me."

Before Topaz could respond, one of the Octopus Chimera's arms swung out, hitting Topaz's wrist, sending the Mew Aqua flying through the air. Both girls watched in horror as the Mew Aqua began to drop into the Mediterranean Sea.

They both looked to see where it was falling. Waves crashed against sharp, jagged rocks down below.

And that was exactly where the Mew Aqua was going to land.

Without hesitating, Topaz flung herself off the cliff, years of flying at her advantage as she controlled her body into a position to best get to the Mew Aqua.

Lettuce looked down. She had to get to the Mew Aqua before Topaz… but unlike the Cyniclon girl, she didn't have the ability to fly after she got it, or teleport, or anything.

But she was going to get to it.

She had to.

Lettuce looked over her shoulder. Pie paused in between attacks, meeting her eyes. She gave him a small smile before turning back to the cliff.

Pie's eyes widened as he realized what she was about to, watched painfully as she stepped towards the edge of the cliff, arms at her side, fists clenched but trembling, eyes closed.

"No," He whispered.

"I'm sorry, Pie," Lettuce whispered, knowing that he would hear her over the noise of the battle. "But I need to do this."

And, with that, she jumped off the side of the cliff.

"LETTUCE!"

* * *

**Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking: "Geeky-Chan, what up with the vampires?" Well, I've noticed that one of the most common things in TMM Fan-Fiction is that the aliens drink blood like vampires (and that there are many stories where the Mew Project and alien invasion never happened but the boys are vampires anyway). While I personally do not believe that the Cyniclons would drink blood, I have noticed that there are a lot of similarities between the Cyniclons and traditional vampires (pale skin, elongated canines, able to appear and disappear quickly) and I wanted to basically give a reason why in the TMM universe there are myths about vampires. 'Tis all.  
**

**But Lettuce just flung herself off a cliff to go after Mew Aqua. No one cares about Cyniclon-vampires or who the Queen of England is married to. Because Lettuce just jumped of a cliff. Quite a literal cliff-hanger I've left here, isn't it? Sorry 'bout that... No, no I'm not, actually.  
**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen:

Lettuce bit her tongue, resisting the urge to scream. Her eyes burned from the air rushing into her face, causing her eyes to tear. But she didn't close her eyes, didn't let herself lose sight of the Mew Aqua.

Topaz stretched out her arm, the Mew Aqua within her reach right before it hit the water, mentally blocking out Pie's anguished cry for her enemy.

_I love him, and he loves me. I know this. _He _knows this. Surely, he must know this… It can't be anything but the truth. He is mine. He has always been and always will be mine._

Topaz let out a cry as the Mew Aqua repelled her, throwing her backwards through the air, somersaulting through the sea sky before she regained control.

"NO!" She screamed in anger as Lettuce grabbed hold of the Mew Aqua.

But it wasn't enough.

Lettuce hit the water hard, quickly disappearing beneath the choppy waves, the Mew Aqua disappearing with her.

Topaz hovered in the air for a moment, trying to regain her breath. There was no way the human could have survived that…

From above, Topaz heard the mournful cries of the other Defenders, heard the littlest Mew Mew and Ikisatashi sob, heard Pie yell at Rin to get off of him, that he was going to get Lettuce…

Topaz frowned.

Pie would retrieve nothing but a corpse. She, on the other hand, was not going to let go of the Mew Aqua.

That was when it happened, the thing no one was expecting.

The sea water began to churn, began to glow in the mid-afternoon sun.

It glowed _green_.

Out of the water emerged Lettuce, wearing her Ultimate Mew Lettuce uniform. Her eyes were closed as she rose higher and higher, till she was high above the island, her long green hair floating around her.

From below, the Tokyo Defenders gasped.

"Is… is that?" Mint whispered, hastily rubbing away her tears.

"It is," Rirī whispered, smiling brightly, tears still flowing. "Oh my stars, it is."

Pie froze mid-attempt to get Kish and Rin off of him as they tried to hold him still, trying to prevent him from hurting himself. He stared at Lettuce, his pounding heart crying in relief. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms then and there and never let her go.

She wanted to do that as well, but she also knew she had a job to do.

Lettuce twisted her wrist and into her hand came a long pale green scepter. At the head of the scepter was a large heart-shaped emerald.

Ichigo gasped from where she leaned on Ryou, her head still aching from being knocked out. The wand in Lettuce's hand was a green replica of her Mew Aqua Rod… No, Ichigo's weapon was not the Mew Aqua Rod. Ichigo's was the Mew_ Element _Rod.

The Mew Aqua Rod belonged solely to Lettuce.

Lettuce raised the Mew Aqua Rod above her head and the stone glowed green. Lettuce opened her own glowing eyes.

"I am Mew Lettuce, bearer of the Mew Aqua Rod, controller of Mew Aqua," She said, her voice strong and confident. "I have found my element as my sister and leader, Mew Ichigo, instructed me to do. And now, I call her to stand at my side as I use the element for the first time."

Ichigo, still clutching her Mew Element Rod, was suddenly raised into the air out of Ryou's hold. Though at first startled, Ichigo relaxed as she came to float beside Lettuce, who smiled at her. Ichigo smiled back, relieved to see that the Lettuce she knew and loved was still there.

The two girls brought the tips of their rods together then, with the scepters still touching, went to stand back to back. Raising their wands together above their heads at the same time, they both called out,

"RIBBON AQUA DROPS!"

Out of the Mew Aqua Rod and Mew Element Rod, drops of Mew Aqua spilled out, the two girls floating in circles in the air, their paths intersecting to meet them back to back again.

The bubbles of Mew Aqua coated the island, reviving it. The trees became alive, the plants grew strong and green, flowers blooming.

Inside the ruins of the castle, Scarlet played her viola, attempting to distract herself from what was going on outside, knowing that there was nothing she could do to help.

Suddenly, a large, beautiful bubble entered her study. She paused, cutting off a note. She frowned at it.

"What is this?" She whispered. Suddenly, more came in, surrounding her. She heard the members of her Coven cry out with surprise as the same bubbles came in around them.

Scarlet held out her hand, letting one bubble rest on her palm. She felt tears come to her scarlet eyes as she smiled, overwhelmed by the warm and happy sensation that came from the Mew Aqua in her palm.

"I knew you could do it, Mew Lettuce," Scarlet whispered.

Finally, Lettuce and Ichigo touched ground, still back to back. Ichigo instantly opened her eyes, turning to throw her arms around Lettuce with a happy laugh. Lettuce couldn't stop smiling as she hugged Ichigo back.

"That was amazing, Lettuce," Ichigo said, releasing Lettuce from the hug. "You were amazing."

"Thank you, Ichigo, but I don't think I could have done it without you," Lettuce said, blushing slightly, running her finger over the large emerald in her Mew Aqua Rod. Ichigo shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"That was all you, Lettuce. I merely came along for the ride," She said.

"Lettuce!"

Lettuce turned and instantly felt Pie's arms around her, holding her tight, running a hand over her back while the other one rested on the back of her head. He kissed the top of her head and swayed with her in his arms for a moment. With her ear against his chest, she could hear his heart pounding. Pie then released her, holding on to her upper arms, leaning forward so that his eyes were level with hers. She suddenly felt guilty at seeing how pained his indigo eyes were, but also happy to see the joy and relief that was there as well.

"Do not _ever _scare me like that again," Pie said, his tone meant to sound gruff, but his voice cracked some, betraying him. Lettuce smiled and threw her arms around him, Mew Aqua Rod and all.

"I won't," She whispered into his shirt as he kissed her head again.

Less than a moment later, Pudding and Rōzu practically shoved Pie off of Lettuce to hug her.

"Lettuce, didn't your mother ever ask you if a crazy, psychopathic alien trying to take over the world with the ability to fly jumps off a cliff, would you jump after her?" Mint asked teasingly as she hugged Lettuce too.

"Somehow it never came up," Lettuce said with a laugh.

Topaz bit back tears of anger as she watched the Mew get hugged by her other comrades, then Pie seemed to lose his patience with them, shooing them off before once again wrapping his arms around her, holding her close, possessively. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest, a smile on her face.

Topaz swallowed hard. That was supposed to be her who Pie had his arms around, holding tightly and not letting go. It was always supposed to be her.

So why wasn't that the case?

"Topaz?"

She turned to see Mylo floating there, the others hovering at a distance.

"Time to go," He whispered. "There is nothing else here that will help us."

Topaz nodded, unable to speak out of fear of crying. Together, they all teleported.

Inside the ruins, there was silence. The vampires watched as Scarlet went to the door, taking the large iron handle in her hands. She looked behind her.

"Stay in the shadows until I know if it is safe," She called.

She glanced over at a little girl, who trembled and shook as she clutched on to the hand of her caretaker. She was scared for her Coven Leader's safety, but also for herself. If Scarlet was wrong, if it wasn't safe to go outside in the daylight, then she would become Leader, even though she was still so young.

Scarlet gave the girl a smile and threw open the door.

Taking a deep breath, Scarlet stepped into the sunlight.

The sun's rays warmed her pale skin. It didn't burn. It didn't kill her.

Scarlet let out a laugh, beaming like the sun. She threw off her cloak and kicked off her boots, feeling the warm grass beneath her toes.

She turned back to the castle, and with a large grin cried out,

"It is safe! Come and feel the sunlight against your skin!"

The members of her Coven poured out. The little ones laughed and chased each other, the older ones moved to tears at the warmth of the sunlight. The teens and young adults relaxed on the warm grass.

Scarlet watched as her entire Coven, made up of a little over fifty former vampires, filled up the yard of the majestically restored castle. She felt tears fall down her cheeks, unable to stop smiling. She turned and ran as fast as she could. She could fly, of course, as the Mew Aqua had given her and her Coven back the powers and appearance their ancestors had. But she didn't want her feet to leave the warm grass. Not just yet.

She ran over to the cliff, where the Tokyo Defenders were. They all turned to stare in disbelief at Scarlet, who ran up to them. She stopped in front of Lettuce, the red eyes meeting the green ones.

"Scarlet, you're in the sun…" Lettuce whispered. Scarlet's smile grew and she nodded.

"You healed us, Mew Lettuce," She said, reaching up to touch the long elven ear she now had. "You healed centuries of damage. You made us whole again. All of us, we are purely Cyniclon now. We no longer crave blood and have to stay hidden in the shadows. I did not even think this was possible… We cannot thank you enough…"

Lettuce's face broke into a smile and she hugged the former vampire.

"You already have," She said.

Scarlet invited the group to stay the night with her Coven. When Ryou asked if the island had been where the original Cyniclons had lived, Scarlet shook her head.

"No. That place is long gone, eradicated by time and the Earth itself," Scarlet said. "At first we believed that this was the place, but when we searched for proof, we came up with nothing. However, we believe that it was close to here, which is why we were led here when we evacuated Japan, and why the Mew Aqua was found near here."

"Would you and your Coven be willing to help us fight Mylo?" Kish asked. Scarlet shook her head.

"We have no fighting experience and, frankly, we may look scary but at heart we are cowards. We only feasted on animal blood, occasionally human and only then through blood bags pilfered from one of the local hospitals. Our Coven has not sunk teeth into human flesh for centuries, and when you entered this morning it was merely a show to make you afraid of us so that you would leave. I do not believe any one of my Coven is capable of harming anyone, especially ones who come with weapons and are skilled in combat."

"Are you going to stay here on Earth?" Zakuro asked.

Scarlet shook her head.

"No. I do not think so. We have been trapped on this island for too long, only venturing out into the human world occasionally, when we needed blood to sustain us. I am not sure how well we could adapt. Not with all those noisy cars and trans fat and boy bands and cats craving cheeseburgers and other dangerous things…" Scarlet said with a shudder.

"You are more than welcome on Cynnth," Rin said, resisting the urge to smirk at Scarlet's words while the others silently sniggered. "There is plenty of room for your entire Coven, whether you choose to stay together or not."

Scarlet smiled.

"Thank you," She said. "I will take a voting tomorrow, to see who wants to stay or go."

Those naturally diurnal went to bed shortly after, exhausted by the day's events, Lettuce in particular. She slept soundly throughout the night, Pie's hold around her not breaking once.

Everyone slept well, but was extremely reluctant to get up in the morning. By the time they got dressed and to breakfast, everyone was annoyed with Rin and Keiichiro, who had gone around waking everyone up, reminding them that the baking contest was that morning and they had to get back to the mainland.

After final farewells and safe travel wishes, the Defenders left on the boat, heading back to the Italian shores.

Once back at their hotel, everyone scrambled to get cleaned up and dressed in their Café uniforms. Once everyone was ready, they headed for the convention center for the baking contest.

It soon dawned upon the others how much being 'assistants' was in name only, as Rin and Keiichiro seemed to be doing their own thing and they were the only ones who could do it right.

"The others keep looking at us," Mint grumbled where she sat with her co-workers on unused stairs while other chefs and their assistants bustled around.

"They're just jealous because we don't have anything to do," Ryou insisted half-heartedly.

"No, they think we're pathetic," Rirī said, her chin in her hand and her elbow on her knee. "Which we are."

"Rin and Keiichiro just have a system they like to stick to," Pie said.

"Yeah, but they could've told us that before they woke us up early and rushed us out the door to come here," Shinji said with a yawn.

No one could disagree there.

Rin and Keiichiro, perfectionists that they are, carefully and artfully arranged the small plates filled with their creations on the two silver trays.

"You think they're going to like it?" Rin asked, not referring to the judges.

Keiichiro nodded.

"They're definitely going to be surprised," He said. They heard the bell ring, sounding the end of baking time. Rin and Keiichiro waited anxiously for their name to be called.

"After being given thumbs up and grins from their teammates, the two bakers laid their trays before the judges. There was a lot of oohing and aah-ing. Though Rin and Keiichiro needed a translator to communicate with the judges, the looks of intrigue and excitement on their faces crossed the language barrier.

Rin grabbed Keiichiro's hand and they smiled at each other before introducing their desserts.

"We know our team is a little confused as to why we insisted we could make all of these desserts on our own, but this is something we wanted to surprise them with."

The staff of Café Mew Mew exchanged glances, still a little confused as to what Keiichiro meant by that.

"That is why we are pleased to present the Café Mew Mew Specials, desserts we have never sold before and have spent months working on together." Rin said. "Each is designed based off of every one of the Café Mew Mew staff and their own personal taste preferences.

"For Ichigo Momomiya, we have a double-layer sponge cake with strawberry frosting in the middle with vanilla buttercream frosting and strawberries on top.

"For Mint Aizawa, a mint and matcha flavored _wagashi_ cake topped with blueberry glaze.

"For Lettuce Midorikawa, a key-lime pie with white chocolate drizzle.

"For Pudding Fong, a banana-cream cupcake with chocolate frosting and crushed vanilla cookies on top.

"For Zakuro Fujiwara, a red velvet cake with pomegranate chunks inside, topped with white chocolate frosting.

"For Ryou Shirogane, an orange and chocolate chip melonpan with a milk chocolate drizzle.

"For Masaya Aoyama, lychee and white chocolate flavored cheesecake.

"For Shinji Otsu, a peach castella cake with a honey glaze.

"For Homare Otsu, a lemon bar with powdered sugar and a light layer of meringue.

"For Pie Ikisatashi, a blackberry pie designed to accompany a cup of coffee.

"For Rirī Ikisatashi, a raspberry and white chocolate brownie.

"For Kisshu Ikisatashi, a strawberry and cream cheese dessert quiche.

"For Taruto Ikisatashi, an apple and cinnamon tart.

"And, last but not least, for Rōzu Ikisatashi, chocolate cake made with rosewater topped with chocolate frosting and cherries."

As Rin spoke, the judges each started partaking of each dessert in front of them. Finally, through the translator, the head judge said,

"I took a bite into each of these marvelous creations thinking that the next could not possibly surpass the one I had just tasted. Never have I been so wrong. You both are very skilled and artistic, and I love how you drew inspiration from your coworkers to create these simply wonderful desserts."

They gave their judging's and Rin and Keiichiro bowed in thanks before leaving the stage. Once they were back at their kitchen area, Rōzu was in Rin's arms.

"I can't believe you made desserts inspired by us!" Rōzu said, kissing her sister's cheek before getting down to hug Keiichiro, who put her on his hip.

"Would you like to taste your cake?" He asked Rōzu, who nodded eagerly.

Rin then brought out another tray full of the treats and passed them out.

"These are perfect," Mint said as she took another bite of her cake.

"So, you guys seriously came up with whole new recipes from scratch?" Tart asked.

Rin and Keiichiro nodded.

"It took a lot of experimenting and messing around with flavors, but, yes, we created these recipes basically front scratch." Keiichiro said.

"Have we mentioned that you two are amazing?" Ichigo said, grinning.

The two bakers beamed. Just then, they heard the announcement that the judges were ready to announce the winners.

Rin clutched tightly onto Keiichiro's hand as they waited patiently as the Head Judge stood up.

"My fellow judges and I were fortunate today to be able to sample the finest desserts by some of the world's most talented bakers. All entries were brilliantly constructed and presented. This does not making judging any easier, sadly. However, we all kept thinking back to one team of bakers in particular, and their simply divine creations. That is why we are pleased to announce this year's winners…

"Keiichiro Akasaka and Rindou Ikisatashi of Café Mew Mew from Tokyo, Japan!"

Rin clapped her hands over her mouth, but Keiichiro lowered them so that he could kiss her, twirling her in his arms as he did so. The two were then smothered in hugs and congratulations by their teammates, and they also received congratulations from other competitors.

From the skylight above, Mylo frowned as _that human_ and his Rin went to collect their prize and shake hands with the judges.

_So the human still can't see that Rin is mine,_ Mylo thought with a scowl as the two kissed again. _They both need a reminder of who Rin truly belongs to._

He thought briefly about storming in and seizing Rin, but it would be only him against the entire Tokyo Defender team.

Plus, Rin looked so happy in that moment… he couldn't take that from her.

_Soon, my flower. I will come for you soon._ He thought as he teleported away.

* * *

**Looks like Mylo's up to no good. But, then, is anyone really surprised to learn that? ;)**

**Explanations for the deserts:**

**Matcha: Matcha is the type of tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony. When brewed, it has this pale green color and looks thick.**  
**Wagashi: A wagashi cake is a Japanese tea cake and has many different varieties and main ingredients.**  
**Melonpan: A Japanese sweet bun.**  
**Castella: A Japanese sponge cake, rectangular in shape. The style first introduced by Portuguese merchants and is made in a similar style in other places in the world, but the closest relative is the Portuguese cake.**

**Just a heads up, the next chapter will be a little limey. I'll let you guess as to which pairing it is.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Well, here it is, the lime chapter! :) Hope you like it!**

Chapter Twenty:

Lettuce Midorikawa was not having a good day. She had woken up late, been tardy for school for the first time in her life, fell flat on her face in gym class, gotten a huge pile of homework, some girls bullied her into doing their own piles of homework, she had forgotten her lunch, and Mint was in another lunch period so she couldn't ask her for either food or money to buy food. On top of all that, the book she absolutely needed for a class was out at both the school library and the public library, then on her way to the Café she tripped and fell into a mud puddle, thoroughly getting her school uniform dirty.

Needless to say, she was not very happy when she came into the Café.

"Hey, Lettuce," Ichigo said cheerfully. Her smile then waned as she studied her friend. "Rough day?" She asked.

"Don't want to talk about it," Lettuce grumbled as she headed for the changing rooms. She sighed as she opened her locker to find that she only had one clean Café Mew Mew uniform. Usually, this wasn't a problem for the other girls, but as Lettuce had a particular track record for spills, she tried to make sure that she had two clean uniforms at all times.

After she pulled on her uniform, she noticed a sticky note from Keiichiro on the mirror.

"Don't worry, uniforms at cleaners. Will be back tomorrow." She read. She sighed.

"No matter, I'll just have to keep this one clean," She told herself.

The work day went on. There were complaining and whiny customers, and somehow Lettuce seemed to end up with the most complaining and the whiniest. To make matters worse, Hiroki decided to drop by once again. As he had every day for the past three weeks.

Hiroki had not been happy to learn that Lettuce had mysteriously disappeared on several 'trips' during the past month, and made it clear about that, telling her the day after their return from Italy that she needed to inform him if and when she was going on any more trips and what she would be doing there. Lettuce was not happy about this and told him that it was none of his concern where she went with her friends. She also quickly realized that Hiroki was as deluded about her supposed 'love' for him as Topaz was about Pie's 'love' for her.

Unfortunately, Hiroki was making himself more than comfortable with the Midorikawas, though Lettuce made sure that Hiroki wasn't misleading Uri as he had before. She had already returned several video games Hiroki let Uri borrow after discovering that many were very inappropriate, and when she confronted him about it, Hiroki merely shrugged and told Lettuce that she was over-reacting, that it was no big deal and that Uri wasn't a baby. Still, Lettuce didn't like Hiroki's behavior, especially once he entered the Café, where he shamelessly flirted with her in ways that he never did around her parents. She hated this double-sided nature he had, how he would act like a gentleman around her family, but around total strangers he was the exact opposite

"You free this afternoon?" He asked, nearly making Lettuce jump as she cleaned the dishes off a table.

"No, Hiroki," She snapped.

"Chill, Lettie, just wanted to see if you wanted to catch a movie or something," Hiroki said.

"And I said no," Lettuce said.

"It wouldn't kill you to go on one date with me," Hiroki said, snaking his arm around her waist to let his hand rest on her hip, grinning flirtingly.

Lettuce jerked away from him, glaring at him.

"Hiroki, I am not dealing with you today," She said. "You have made your intentions clear, and I have made my response clear. Just drop it."

With that, she grabbed her bucket with dishes and headed for the kitchen…

…Just to collide with Homare.

"I'm so sorry, Lettuce!" Homare said, trying to clean up the mess she had caused.

Lettuce, however, was staring down at her last clean apron, and the fact that it was now covered in cheesecake and blueberries.

"It's alright, Homare," Lettuce said, picking up the dishes that miraculously survived the encounter between the two klutzy girls.

Lettuce and Homare took the dishes into the kitchen, where Rin, Ichigo, Pie, Ryou and Pudding were.

"Everything alright?" Ichigo asked, studying the two girls.

"It's nothing, we got it cleaned up," Lettuce said as Homare went to refill the order. She looked down at her dirty apron again. "Hey, do any of you girls have a clean apron I could borrow?"

"Sorry, with the exception of this one, mine are all at the cleaners," Ichigo said.

"Ditto, na no da," Pudding said.

"There's one in my third of the closet," Rin said, looking up from her cake. "Just leave the dirty one in the hamper. I need to do laundry tomorrow anyways and it won't destroy the fabric if it goes through the washing machine once."

"Thanks, Rin," Lettuce said, dashing for the stairs.

She had barely gotten up three steps when the toe of her shoe caught the stair, sending her tumbling forward.

Lettuce let out a cry and brought her arms forward to catch herself, closing her eyes, waiting for the pain.

She felt herself tumble down the stairs, her feet going over her head and her back and legs hitting the stairs, but something didn't quite feel right. She tried to move her toes, but couldn't.

"Oh my gosh!"

"What the-"

"Well, this is new."

"We need to get her in water, na no da!"

"Lettuce, are you alright?"

Lettuce opened her eyes, in a bit of a daze, trembling from the shock. She looked up. She was on the floor on her stomach, her friends and boyfriend looking down at her with wide, worried eyes.

But… why did Pudding say they needed to get her in water?

She opened her mouth to speak, but just ended up gasping for air. It hurt to breathe; had she cracked a rib? Broken it maybe? She heard Rin teleport and then the sound of water running upstairs. She tried to pick herself up off the floor, but found that her arms were too short, at too awkward an angle.

_Did I break something?_ She frantically worried, still in a daze of confusion.

Suddenly, her skin felt dry and itchy. She moved her arm against her side in an attempt to scratch.

Her eyes widened.

No, that wasn't her arm. That was her _fin_.

She had turned herself into a porpoise.

Lettuce was in a daze as she felt Ryou and Pie carefully lift her off the floor. She felt the familiar tug of teleporting and next thing she knew, she was in warm water.

"Ryou, how did this happen?" Pie asked, his hand gently stroking Lettuce's head. She sighed and nuzzled his palm to return affection.

"I don't know," Ryou admitted. "Ichigo's been the only one to transform into her animal. No one else has."

"Well, what are we going to do to get her back to normal?" Rin asked from where she sat at the side of the tub beside the faucet.

"Never fear, Pudding's here, na no da!" Pudding called as she, Homare and Ichigo ran in, each carrying boxes of salt.

"What are you bakas doing with the salt?" Ryou demanded as Pudding dumped her entire box of salt into the tub.

"Well, she's a porpoise, doesn't she need salt water, not fresh water?" Ichigo asked as she opened a box while Homare looked unsure of what to do.

"No, baka strawberry, Finless Porpoises can survive in both!" Ryou snapped at her.

Ichigo growled.

"Yes, but there is a population that lives in freshwater, and one that lives in salt water!" Ichigo snapped back. "So, which one is she?"

"What? I don't know!" Ryou snapped.

"_You're _the one who took the DNA from the Finless Porpoise. _You're_ the one who injected it into Lettuce. _You're_ the one who should know this, Ryou Shirogane!" Ichigo screeched, jabbing her finger into Ryou's chest. "What kind of baka does all these things, and not know whether the porpoise needs fresh water or salt water?"

"What the heck is going on up here?" Mint demanded as she, Tart, Kish and Zakuro entered the room, looking confused.

"Lettuce Onee-Chan turned into a dolphin, na no da!" Pudding informed them cheerfully.

"Porpoise, Pudding, porpoise," Zakuro corrected as she peered into the tub, her face not showing any signs of shock, though it was evident on Mint, Tart and Kish's faces.

"Whoa," Tart said, blinking a few times.

Lettuce groaned. Great. Now absolutely _everyone _was going to see her in marine animal form.

"Yeah, well, I never expected that it would be pertinent to know the difference!" Ryou yelled at Ichigo, ignoring the entrance of the others.

"Then you know who will know the answer," Ichigo said, her voice deadly low.

Ryou sighed.

"Yes, yes I do," He said softly.

There was a moment of silence, then they both yelled in unison,

"MASAYAAAAAAAA!"

"Geez, I'm here, no need to deafen the entire city!" Masaya grumbled as he entered the room, clutching his ears. By now, everyone else had arrived, curious about what was happening.

"Ryou's an idiot, so we need you to answer this for us: Does Lettuce need fresh water or salt water?" Ichigo demanded, pointing at the tub.

"How the heck should I know by just looking at her!" Masaya demanded.

"You're supposed to know everything about animals!" Ichigo screamed at him, stamping her foot at random intervals. "I spent two years dating you, listening to you go on and on about animals, and now it's supposed to have paid off in this moment of crisis!"

"Oh, well, if you never wanted to listen to what I was talking about, you should have just said so!" Masaya snapped.

Ichigo relaxed her shoulders and glanced away, muttering,

"I was a fool."

"What did you say?!" Masaya demanded.

"I said that I wasted two years listening to you rant on and on about how to become a tree-hugger, just like you!" Ichigo yelled.

"You know, you could have just said something!" Masaya yelled. After a second of thought, he demanded, "Why the heck did we get together in the first place?"

"I don't know, you were cute, I was cute, we just seemed to be twice as cute together," Ichigo said, shrugging.

"That was your basis for forming a long-lasting relationship?" Masaya demanded. "Cuteness?!"

"Well, it does play in some factor!" Ichigo said defensively.

"Did… they ever fight like this when they were dating?" Homare asked softly as she stood there, still with her unopened box of salt in her hands, looking very confused.

"If they did, I probably wouldn't have tried to break them up, this is entertaining," Kish said with a wry grin.

"Excuse me."

Lettuce breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, calm in the storm. Pie taking control of the situation.

"Can we please get back to addressing the problem at hand?" Pie demanded, quite clearly ticked off.

"Oh," Ichigo said blankly. "Yeah, I guess we can."

While no one was looking, Pudding suddenly grinned, an idea formed in her head. She bent over the side of the tub, sticking her head under the water, and, to Lettuce's surprise, kissed the porpoise girl on the mouth.

Lettuce gasped for air as she sat up, now completely drenched and spluttering, coughing up salty water.

"Pudding," She said in between coughs. "Not that I'm not grateful, but next time, can you wait until I'm out of the water before doing that?"

"Sure thing, Lettuce Onee-Chan, na no da!" Pudding said, grinning proudly, water dripping from her blond locks.

"How'd you do that?" Rōzu asked, just as stunned as everyone else.

"Pudding just remembered that that was how we got Ichigo Onee-Chan out of her kitty form whenever something like this happened to her, na no da," Pudding said, holding up one finger with her eyes closed. "A kiss and POOF! Human again, na no da."

"Why didn't we think of that?" Ryou asked no one in particular, sweat-dropping.

Rin grabbed a towel and wrapped the shivering Lettuce up in it as Pie helped her out of the tub. Lettuce fell forward, clutching onto Pie, her legs shaky.

"Rin, Rirī, will you find Lettuce some dry clothes?" Pie asked as he helped Lettuce regain her balance, his arm around her waist while she clutched onto his shirt tightly.

"Sure," Rirī said as she and Rin teleported.

Fifteen minutes later, Lettuce sat on Pie's bed, dressed in one of Rirī's skirts and one of Rin's tank-tops. She hugged Pie's pillow to her chest while he sat behind her, gently brushing out the tangles from her wet hair.

She felt like crying. She had had such a horrible day.

She buried her face in the pillow again, breathing deeply. Warmth spread through her as she did so. It smelled like Pie, a musky scent, almost like blackberries, with a little bit of spice. It was comforting.

She felt Pie braid her hair into one long plait, then he gently rubbed her shoulders.

"I am sorry you have had such a rough day," He whispered into her ear.

"It's slowly getting better," Lettuce said. She lay back so that her head and shoulders were in his lap. He smiled softly down at her, trailing his fingers over her soft cheeks.

"You are so beautiful," He whispered.

Lettuce blushed slightly.

"I know," She said, a bit shyly. "I don't think I always knew, but believe it or not I think Topaz helped me realize that."

"Topaz did something good for once, then," Pie said, cupping Lettuce's chin. He lowered his face to hers, his smile directly above her eyes.

"Because you should always know that you are always beautiful." He whispered, bringing his lips to hers.

They stayed in this upside down kiss for a few minutes, then Pie let go of Lettuce for a moment so she could turn over on her stomach, crawling up Pie's torso to get back to his lips, pushing him backwards as she did so that he lay down. She sat on his stomach, her knees on either side of him, her hands going over his chest as they kissed, moaning at feeling Pie's fingers trail down her sides, his hands finally going to rest on her hips. She felt his lips curve into a mischievous grin.

Suddenly, she was on her back and staring up into his face as he grinned down at her, now attacking her neck and shoulders with his kisses, pinning down her wrists. Lettuce lay back and enjoyed the feeling of his lips on her skin. Then she chuckled.

"It's going to be awkward when someone walks in on us," She said.

Pie lifted his head briefly and she saw his dark eyes twinkle, the corner of his mouth lift with mischief.

Suddenly, the mattress disappeared from underneath her. With a squeak, Lettuce wrapped her arms around Pie's neck, her legs around his waist, squeezing her eyes shut.

She quickly felt another mattress, this one softer. She heard Pie chuckle.

She opened her eyes and saw that they were on Pie's room on the ship.

"Did you really think that I was going to let you fall into danger, my angel?" Pie whispered as he gently nipped at her ear, being careful that his sharp teeth didn't break skin. Lettuce smiled, deciding to turn the tables.

Pie let Lettuce roll him over, so that she was sitting on top of him again. She pressed her mouth to his, unbuttoning his shirt all the while, rubbing her hands all over his muscled torso. She heard him moan her name into her mouth. She smiled and broke off the kiss, leaving a trail of kisses on his neck, her hands still on his chest.

She moved her mouth up towards his again and they began kissing again. Pie carefully rolled over with Lettuce, straddling her. She brought her leg up to wrap around his, her fingers getting entwined in his hair.

The hands on her sides moved to either side of her head and Pie looked down briefly to see that the tank top had shifted to expose her Mew Mark. He gently traced it with his finger, causing her to shiver slightly as the mark tingled as it always did when touched.

"You like that, do you not?" He asked.

"Uh huh," Lettuce managed to whisper. Pie stared down at Lettuce's flushed and slightly flustered face. He gently stroked her cheek and she smiled shyly up at him, her cheeks tinted pink. Pie smiled.

Stars, she was so beautiful.

He pressed his lips to hers again, her body pressed up to his, staying in the kiss as long as they could before Lettuce needed fresh oxygen. When he finally let her go to regain her breath, he glanced at her with hungry, greedy eyes, panting slightly.

And then, he froze, taking a sharp intake of breath.

"Pie?" Lettuce whispered, confused.

Suddenly, the air above her rippled, and Pie was gone.

Lettuce sat up quickly, and noticed that her skirt and top had ridden up slightly, exposing the undergarments. Blushing, she quickly fixed this, looking around the room. That was when she saw him.

Pie stood with his palms against the wall, standing arms-length away from the wall, head bowed, his feet shoulder-width apart. He was breathing heavily.

"Pie, is something wrong?" Lettuce asked worriedly.

"Give me a moment," Pie muttered, but Lettuce heard him.

Lettuce sat awkwardly, staring at her knees, waiting for Pie's breathing to even out. Finally, he walked away from the wall and over to the foot of the bed. He fell forward, making the mattress and Lettuce bounce some, and then he wrapped his arm around Lettuce, pulling her to him.

"Pie… I don't understand. Did… did I do something wrong?" Lettuce asked as she lay beside Pie, her cheeks heating as she avoided his gaze, which was hard to do as he had brought her face close to his.

"Oh, no, my angel," Pie said hugging her and kissing her cheek. "You are fine, absolutely fine. But… I had to stop before I did something that we would both regret later."

Lettuce's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Pie hesitated for a second, trailing a pattern on Lettuce's shoulder with his finger absentmindedly.

"I nearly gave into a temptation, one I feel every time I look at you. Had I lost control for a split second…" Pie closed his eyes.

"We… we would have gone farther?" Lettuce asked, not knowing how to phrase it, blushing slightly.

Pie nodded, his own cheeks tinged pink.

"That would be a step too far," He said. "One my people don't usually take. One I know I cannot take comfortably right now."

"What do you mean?" Lettuce questioned, her brow furrowed again. Pie gave a small sigh before continuing.

"My people value purity until marriage. We are a race that trains children to become soldiers. Some have killed before they even enter their teens," Pie said, his gaze wandering blindly throughout the room as he spoke, his voice trailing, like he was remembering something unpleasant. "No matter how much we love someone, we do not give it up until we have been pronounced man and wife. This purity is the only thing we have to be considered innocent."

Lettuce shivered at that thought. She felt tempted to ask Pie if he had killed prior to that final battle, but she couldn't force herself to do so. He began to whisper again,

"There is this little voice in my head, always urging me to continue when I get in a state like that. Today it was stronger, more commanding. I… am not sure I can always refuse the command."

"I'm not sure I could either," Lettuce whispered. "And I don't have half the willpower you do."

"Perhaps it would be better for both of our sakes if we do not tempt ourselves like that," Pie whispered.

Lettuce was a little disappointed, but couldn't disagree and nodded to show Pie that. She had liked their kissing, enjoyed it… But Pie was right. It was better if they didn't tempt themselves like that. They needed a boundary line and to respect it.

They both laid in silence for a few moments. Lettuce felt like she should say something, but no words came to her mouth. So, instead, she ran her fingers over Pie's ears as he stared off vacantly, lost in thought.

His ears were warm, soft, and slightly fuzzy, almost like a peach. She felt his pulse coming from thousands of miniscule veins, too thin to see with the naked eye though the cartilage wasn't very thick, but still the pulse was there, like a thousand small drums against her fingertips. The corner of her mouth lifted as the ear in her hand twitched at her touch before relaxing into her palm. Many days it seemed that the Cyniclons' ears had minds of their own, which was both very cute and entertaining for the humans to watch.

Pie turned back to look at her, his indigo eyes meeting her pale sapphire ones.

"Are you upset? That I made us stop?" He asked.

"Oh, no!" Lettuce said quickly. She could have kicked herself, though. By responding 'no' so fast, could she have hurt his feelings? She quickly continued to speak, quickly turning as red as a tomato. "I mean, that was great and all, but I don't think I'm anywhere near ready to go any further. Not that I don't want… I really do want… I mean, I want our first time to be special. Not that if we did it today, it wouldn't be special. I just mean that I'd really like it to be our wedding night."

Lettuce could have kicked herself again. She and Pie, though in a serious relationship, had never even begun discussing the possibility of marriage. So she rambled even faster, her cheeks turning so red they put Ichigo's hair to shame.

"That is, if we ever do get married, which I know I would like very much, not that I'm trying to pressure you or guilt you into marrying me or anything! It's just that we've never even talked about something so serious. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is," Lettuce took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself, but found it hard, staring into Pie's eyes as he stared at her blankly, blinking a few times. Then she whispered, "What I'm trying to say is, are we someday going to get married, Pie?"

Pie removed his arm from around Lettuce.

"Wait here," He whispered, and he teleported away.

Lettuce sat up, feeling a little light-headed. She held her head in her hands.

_Did I blow it? _She wondered.

She got off the bed and wandered around the room. Though she had been in there before, it had not been for very long, and she had been more concerned about Pie than curious about what his room was like.

The walls were dark, and decorations were sparse, mostly framed sketches of his family. Lettuce had no doubts in her mind that they were drawn by Rin. To make up for the lack of decor, though, there were plenty of books scattered across the room: neatly on their shelves, scattered on the desk and in a haphazard pile on the bedside table. Some were open, some heavily marked with pieces of paper, and some had cracked spines from being opened so many times.

Lettuce stood in front of the bookshelf, stuffed full. There were a lot of Cyniclon books— most of which were in the Cyniclon language—but there were also a few Earth books. She smiled, not surprised that books were the souvenirs Pie collected from his time spent on Earth. She selected a book from Cynnth and sat down on the edge of the bed to read. She hadn't gotten too far into it when she felt the mattress shift beneath her, and large hands with slender fingers on her shoulder, soft lips pressed against the side of her neck. She tilted her head slightly to see Pie sitting behind her.

"I apologize for taking so long," He said. "But apparently it was a unwise decision on my part to tell Kish and Tart what I was looking for, as Kish found it first and they decided it would be funny to play keep-away with it before giving it to me."

"What were you looking for?" Lettuce asked, setting the book aside, noticing Pie was hiding an object from her.

Pie took both of her hands in his.

"Lettuce, my people know when they have found the right one for them, the person that they love and wish to marry. However, fate sometimes makes this epiphany come when neither are ready to marry, or even ready to consider it, often because they be too young, or there be some strife. But, the young man will make a promise to his love that he will, when they are both ready for this commitment, ask her to marry him." Pie said.

He then let go of one of Lettuce's hands and reached behind him, pulling out a small leather draw-string bag. He placed the bag in her hand.

Lettuce looked at the bag in her hand, then up at Pie, who nodded at her encouragingly. With trembling fingers, Lettuce undid the tie and reached in the bag, pulling out a thin silver ring. It was dotted with small stones of four different colors: green, blue, pale purple and white.

"Pie, it's beautiful," Lettuce whispered as she studied the ring. Pie gently took it from her and placed it on her finger before taking both of her hands in his again, looking directly into her eyes.

"Lettuce Midorikawa, I promise you that one day, when we are both ready to begin taking our steps towards the altar, I will ask you to become my wife," He said. "Until then, I will remain your constant, loyal, loving companion. I will care for you, and protect you, and work hard to provide for you and the family we will have. Do you accept this promise?"

Lettuce couldn't help but smile as tears flooded her eyes and she nodded.

"I accept," She said.

As she snuggled into Pie, who held her tightly to him and kept placing gentle kisses on her head, Lettuce couldn't stop smiling.

_Best. Day. Ever._

* * *

**Yeah, I know Pie's kind of Edward-like in this chapter with the whole purity thing. Didn't intend for that. However, it does seem to fit Pie and all his angst and protectiveness over Lettuce. On the plus side, he doesn't sparkle in the sunlight! :D**

**So, anyways, with this chapter, thus ends in the story world...**

**The month of January.**

**And it's July in the real world.**

**T.T**

***sigh* Oh well. Slowly but surely...  
**


	21. Chapter 21

**The following is a Soccer-Geek Public Service Announcement: Until the second-to-last week of August when my classes begin, there will be bi-weekly updates of Alien Upgrade on Mondays and Fridays.**

**Thus ends the Soccer-Geek PSA.**

**Anyways, this chapter is a short one, but hopefully a good one. Mina-Chan, I really hope you enjoy this story arc, as it was written with you in mind. ;)**

**Just a warning: Towards the end of the chapter, it gets a bit dark and scary. And, depending on how you look at it, a bit limey, I guess?  
**

**That being said, on with the show!**

Chapter Twenty-One:

"It appears our Cyniclon friends are depressed over something," Masaya observed as he watched the Ikisatashi siblings mope around the Café, their eyes lifeless and their ears drooping.

"Taru-Taru told me that Asagao-Chan's birthday is the day after tomorrow, na no da," Pudding explained. "So, I think they're homesick combined with knowing they're going to miss Asagao-Chan's first birthday."

"Hmm, I wouldn't be so quick to say they're going to miss Asagao's birthday," Ichigo said, a plan forming in her head. She gathered the others around her and began to whisper a plan. The others quickly agreed and called the oblivious Cyniclons over. The human's watched happily as their eyes lit up and their ears perked up.

"Really?" Tart said excitedly. "You sure you can handle anything that comes up?"

"Absolutely!" Ichigo said. "It's only for a day, and it's not like we haven't fought Chimeras when it was just the five of us Mews before."

Kish threw his arms around Ichigo.

"You're the best, you know!" Kish said, kissing Ichigo's cheek.

"Of course we know," Mint said as she patted Rōzu's head, the little girl's arms around her waist. "Now go get everything that you'll need ready."

The Cyniclon siblings did not need to be told twice and instantly teleported off in various directions.

The following afternoon, the siblings bade farewell to their human friends with the plan to be landing on Cynnth in the early morning Cynnth time. Not fifteen minutes later, the humans learned that a Chimera was attacking.

"Of course," Ichigo said with a sigh, grabbing her pendant. "Come on, Tokyo Mew Mew!"

With that, the girls departed.

A few hours after the Mews had finished off Mylo's Chimeras, the Ikisatashi siblings were at home with their parents and younger sister. Curry had invited his sister Ivy and her husband and children to come over for the day, and the entire family had had fun celebrating the youngest member's first birthday, though the little girl had no idea today was different for a reason other than her big brothers, sisters and cousins were all there to play with her. It was late in the evening before Ivy's family left the house, and the older siblings were just as tired as the birthday girl, who had fallen asleep in Rin's lap.

"Of course we're tired," Rirī said with a chuckle through a yawn. "We threw off our sleep pattern. We'd just be waking up on Earth right now."

"How about you stay for the night, and then you can go back to Earth in the morning?" Risa suggested as she stroked Rōzu's hair, the little girl asleep beside her.

"I believe that is for the best," Pie said following a yawn. "I do not think any of us would be able to pilot the ship in this condition."

So, after making contact with their human companions saying that they'd be back by late afternoon Earth time, the siblings headed up to their rooms.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Rin jerked awake, looking around. What was that strange sound?

_Thunk._

There it was again.

She frowned. It sounded like something hitting the glass in the window. Rin crawled out of her blankets and crept past her sleeping sisters. She frowned as she looked out the window.

There was a light flashing out in the fields.

"What in the world…?" She muttered. She went downstairs and grabbing her cloak before stepping outside.

She flew towards towards the fields and the light, wondering what it could be. She finally found the source of the light, a lantern put on a high stick in the middle of the field.

_Why would Papa put something like this out here?_ Rin wondered as she flew up to take it down. Upon studying it, she realized that it was an electrical lantern, one from Earth.

"Where did this come from?" She wondered out-loud. They hadn't brought something like this from Earth, and she knew her brothers had brought nothing like this from their first trip. And besides, if they had, wouldn't the batteries have died by now?

Suddenly, she gasped as a cold metal choker was thrown around her throat. She heard it click closed, then, in her ear, she heard a whisper,

"I've got you now, my flower."

Mylo.

Rin instantly turned and tried to hit Mylo with the lantern, attempting to fly off, but it was too late. She felt Mylo grab her wrists, then let go, cold metal on her wrists as well. With a cry, she fell to the ground, scrambling to her feet and took off running, trying to process her situation as she did.

Restrictors, she realized, were around her wrists, that's why she couldn't fly or summon her fans. She went to the next thing that would save her, mentally screaming at Pie to wake up and rescue her.

But he didn't respond. She tried to feel him through their bond, but she couldn't. Throwing her hand up to her throat, she felt her eyes widen. The pouch of herbs that she had had Keiichiro throw into a dark corner of the hospital prison nearly a month before was now around her neck, cutting off her connection with Pie. She tried tearing it off, but it was useless.

She ran faster, her curls flying behind her. She saw the house, she was almost out of the field…

With a cry, her foot was caught in a small hole, a sickening snapping noise coming from her weak ankle right before she hit the ground. She tried to get up, but could only scream with pain, realizing she couldn't even walk with her ankle broken and throbbing.

Inside the house, Pie's eyes snapped open as he heard a scream from outside. Kish and Tart instantly sat up and the three boys ran for the door, stepping into the hall, weapons out. Rirī and Rōzu were standing at their doorway, shocked. Asagao was crying and Risa had quickly went to get her while Curry summoned his spear.

"Where's Rin?" Tart asked.

"She's gone," Rirī said, her eyes wide. Pie's blood froze and he tried to make contact with Rin… just to find it impossible.

He teleported outside of the house and started to fly towards a figure curled up on the ground.

Rin.

But he was too late.

Mylo teleported beside her and picked her up bridal style. Smirking at Pie, he teleported again, taking Rin with him. Pie launched himself into the air, teleporting himself, trying to get to the portal before it closed, but it closed right before his fingertips could touch it.

Pie panted as he fell to his knees where Rin had laid only a second before, hitting the ground with his fist with an yell of anger and frustration. He heard his siblings and father run up to him, out of breath as well.

"Pie, where is Rin?" Curry demanded. Pie looked up at his father sadly.

"Mylo has kidnapped her." He said dejectedly.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Rin panted as she felt herself be thrown backwards onto the mattress, her head hitting soft pillows. Mylo wasted no time, chaining Rin's wrists above her head to the bedposts so that she couldn't escape, not that she could with her ankle throbbing. She moaned, remembering the healer's words from the last time she broke it, being told that if that particular ankle was broken again, it would need surgery to be fixed instead of just being set and healed in a medpod.

Mylo was surprisingly tender and gentle, not being rough with her as he carefully propped her broken ankle on a pillow. He smiled at her as he kneeled over her, gently stroking her cheek, to which she turned away.

"You are so beautiful, my flower," Mylo whispered, leaving a trail of kisses on her cheek and neck, one hand cupped around the other cheek and the fingers of the other trailing down her side. Rin hissed at his touch. "Do you like that, Rinny?" Mylo asked, the hand trailing lower until it was on her hip. "What can I do to make you happy, Rin?"

"Let me go!" Rin screamed, trying to hit him with her elbows and her good leg, finally landing a blow on Mylo's cheek. Mylo scowled; though she hadn't hurt him, she had angered him. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, his eyes smoldering.

"You will do as I say, Rindou. I am your lord, master and husband-to-be. I suggest you learn your place." He said.

Rin trembled, but she glared back.

"Greater men than you have tried to control me," She snapped. "They all failed."

Mylo grinned slyly, leaning down to whisper in Rin's ear,

"But I will not."

He crawled off of her and went down to her feet. He took her good foot and began massaging it. "Don't worry, I will be gentle. This time, because I know it is your first."

Rin sucked in a breath and her eyes widened as she realized the meaning of Mylo's words.

"No," She whispered, tears coming to her eyes. "Please, no."

Ignoring her please, Mylo moved his hands up her leg, pushing back the hem of her muddy nightgown as he did so.

"Are you excited, Rindou?" Mylo asked, his hands now above her trembling knee. He moved one hand to her other leg, still slowly raising her skirt towards her knee. "I am. I have waited a long time for this, to make you completely mine."

"Stop, please stop!" Rin begged.

"Don't be afraid," Mylo said, his eyes gleaming as he continued to slowly move his hands up over her thighs. He smiled as his hands got higher and higher on her long legs, his fingers going to the insides of her legs. "Like I said, I'll be gentle."

Rin started thinking fast, how could she stop him? She squeezed her tear-filled eyes tight, held back a sob and screamed,

"NOT UNTIL OUR WEDDING NIGHT!"

Mylo froze and looked up at Rin, his face like that of a curious child. Rin panted slightly as she stared at him, then, breathlessly, she said,

"Please," She whispered. "I…I want to be pure… until our wedding night…"

Mylo blinked a few times, stunned.

"Our?" He whispered, like the word was foreign to him. Rin nodded vigorously.

"I will marry you if and only if you promise to leave me completely pure now," She said.

Mylo's shoulders went back and he moved off of her to go sit beside her.

"You will marry me?" He said, staring at her, transfixed.

Rin gave a nervous chuckle.

"Well, not until you ask me," She said, trying to give him a sweet smile. Mylo grinned and unlocked her hands, taking one in his.

"Rindou Ikisatashi, I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you," Mylo said. "Since then, I have begged, and begged, and begged for you to marry me. And now I ask one last time: will you marry me?"

"Yes," Rin breathed, nodding, tears coming to her eyes.

_Forgive me Keiichiro._

Mylo smiled and kissed her hand, mistaking her tears for tears of joy.

But they weren't.

She didn't love him. She never would. She wanted to say yes to a marriage proposal from only one person, a person who at that moment didn't even know that she was taken by their mutual enemy.

She wanted Keiichiro.

"I will protect your purity until our wedding night," Mylo promised as he laid beside her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her waist, gently petting her navel, smiling at the thought that one day soon, her belly would be round with his child inside her. His smile suddenly grew sad as he said, "I will do what my father couldn't be bothered to do."

Rin frowned. What did Mylo mean by that? But before she could ask, Mylo continued, stroking her hair as he spoke.

"We will wed the night that Earth becomes mine. I will make you queen over the humans. I will make you immortal. We'll have strong sons and beautiful daughters. I have promised Topaz that Pie will be hers. Our sons and daughters will wed theirs, and we will form an empire strong enough to last for millennia." He smiled up at Rin, tears in his eyes. "I will make you the happiest woman alive, Rin. I promise you."

He cradled Rin against him, snuggling into her as he fell asleep. Rin, however, stayed awake, a few crystal tears falling from the corners of her eyes.

How was she going to escape this mess?


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two:

"RIN'S BEEN KIDNAPPED?!"

Kish moved the phone away from his ear. He loved Ichigo, he would die for her (again), do anything to make her happy and protect her.

But she was going to make him deaf one day.

"Yes, and I need to see if anyone can pick up on her tracer, on the off chance that she's being hidden on Earth." He said.

"Hang on, I'm putting this on speakerphone," Ichigo said. He heard a beep, then Ichigo said, "Okay, so how did this happen?"

Kish sighed and told the story yet again. Pie had told it to him, his siblings and parents, and refused to speak anymore after that. Since then, Kish had told the story to Yuzu and Vanilla, Chai and Gama, and various others.

"How did Mylo know that Rin was on Cynnth to begin with, na no da?" Pudding asked.

"More than likely because we showed up without the others," Zakuro said grimly. "He could easily have figured out that they weren't on Earth at all and therefore could only be one other place."

"How the heck did Mylo even know that Rin would fall into his trap?" Mint demanded.

"He probably didn't," Kish said irritably. "He took a risk, but it obviously paid off. It could have been any of us, and he would have gladly have taken anyone hostage. But since it's Rin… since it's Rin, he's not going to let her go easy."

"I've found the location of Rin's tracer," Masaya said suddenly. "It is nearby, I'd say the location of Mylo's Earth base."

"The problem is, how are we going to get in?" Ichigo said. "We had so much trouble the last time, when Rōzu was kidnapped."

"I don't know. I might be able to get through the shields, I just need some time to figure it out," Kish said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Look, Pie, Rirī, Tart, Rōzu and I will be there soon. We're not going to bother taking the ship, we're just going to teleport. We will come back for it once we've found Rin; if she's hurt, we're going to need for her to be treated here anyways."

"Why?" Keiichiro asked suddenly, almost harshly. It was the first thing he had said since learning of Rin's capture.

"It's a long story. Rirī, Tart and I will tell you later," Kish said. He looked up to see Rirī, Tart and Rōzu enter the room. "We'll be there soon."

"Bye." Ichigo said before Kish closed his phone.

"Pie?" Kish asked.

"Not happy," Rirī said with a sigh. "He and Rin have never been cut off from each other for this long, and not this suddenly."

"He says it's like having a hole in his chest, and that it keeps getting bigger." Rōzu said softly, ducking her head so no one could see her tears. Tart pulled her into a hug, gently running a hand over her hair to comfort her.

Kish sighed and stood up from where he sat on the floor.

"Her tracer says she's on Earth," He said. "Let's go get Pie and we'll teleport there."

The four siblings headed downstairs. They were not surprised to see that Pie hadn't moved from his spot in the corner of the couch, his legs curled up underneath him, blankly staring out the window. Risa sat next to him, gently running her fingers through his hair and rubbing his shoulder. They all knew Risa was the best person for either one of the twins to go to when they were cut off from each other for an extended period of time for a variety of reasons, not just because she was their mother and could comfort them. She knew exactly what it felt like to be disconnected from the bond they shared.

Risa had been born with a twin brother, but he had died when they were toddlers. Therefore, even though she tried, the fans Rin fought with wouldn't work for her and she took up archery instead. They all knew that after all those years, she still missed her twin, whom she named Pie after. But despite the pain, Risa had learned how to live with the emptiness, the silence at the other end. But it was still something she didn't want her children to experience.

Risa looked up at her children and slowly Pie turned to face them. Kish held out his hand for Pie to take.

"She's on Earth," He said. "The others are waiting for us there to start the rescue plans."

Pie said nothing, his face still blank, eyes hazy, but he accepted Kish's hand and let the teen pull him to his feet.

"We'll contact you once we have a plan," Kish promised Risa and Curry, who both nodded. "Even if we do manage to get into Mylo's base, there is nothing stopping him from teleporting back here with her."

"We will keep vigil in case that happens," Curry promised. After Risa gave them all hugs, the five siblings teleported into the basement of Café Mew Mew.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Mylo knelt beside Rin, looking worried. Rin had refused to eat breakfast or drink anything, and she was starting to develop a fever. He looked down at her splinted swollen ankle with a small bag of ice on it that he had put on it in hopes of reducing the swelling. She was also not speaking at all.

Mylo studied her, and her dirty face, hands and nightgown. Suddenly, he came up with an idea.

"Rin, how would you like a warm bath and some clean clothes?" Mylo suggested, gently stroking her face.

She suddenly reached up and pulled her cloak around her tighter. There was no fear in her face as she glared at him. But she made it clear with just that look that she did not want him changing her clothes or bathing her.

Mylo retracted his hand, faltering some under her glare.

"I… I meant I would have Topaz help you," He said. "I thought you would prefer-"

"Whatever makes you happy," Rin snapped, turning her head away.

Mylo gave a low growl.

"Wives are to be submissive to their husbands," He snapped back.

"We are not married yet. And at the rate in which you are going in securing planet Earth as your kingdom, I am beginning to doubt we ever will be." Rin said in a low, blank voice as she turned back to glare at him.

Mylo fumed, glaring back. He drew his hand back, but stopped himself, grabbing his own wrist and lowering his head.

"I am sorry," He said. "This cannot be an easy transition for you. Your family is now considered the enemy, preventing you from having the happiness you desire. And on top of that you are in pain and do not feel well."

Mylo gently kissed Rin's temple, mentally sighing at the temperature of her skin.

"Yes, I think a warm bath will help you tremendously," He said. He stood up. "I will get Topaz. Will you be alright if I leave you for a few minutes?"

Rin said nothing, but Mylo took that as a sign of her permission. Glancing over his shoulder, he left.

Rin didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like a few seconds later, Topaz appeared, smiling cheerfully and holding a bundle of clothes, some towels and a few glass bottles.

"I'll go draw your bath and then I'll help you up," Topaz said as she stepped into the small adjacent bathroom. Rin heard the sound of water running and then Topaz was over her, smiling at her.

"Ready?" She asked as she helped Rin sit up. Rin sighed.

"As I'm ever going to be," She mumbled.

Topaz helped Rin limp into the large stone bathroom. Topaz sat Rin down on a cushioned stool and then went over to check on the water. She glanced over at her cousin's "fiancé" and frowned slightly. She had known Rin since they were children, and she had never seen her this lifeless.

"Are you alright?" Topaz asked as she stepped over to Rin, who was now running her finger over one of her restrictors.

"I guess so," Rin said with a small sigh as she lowered her wrist.

She let Topaz undress her and then help her slide into the tub, which was sunken into the ground. Rin moaned softly as she became enveloped by the warm water and bubbles. Topaz smiled, glad to see Rin's smile as she leaned her head back against a folded towel, her eyes closed as she relaxed. Rin had been worried that being in the water would aggravate her ankle, but was pleased to discover that some of the pain disappeared.

Topaz sat beside the tub cross-legged. She studied Rin, who went back to running her fingers over one of her restrictors.

"Can you take these off?" Rin asked softly, not opening her eyes.

"I'd have to ask Mylo, he has the key," Topaz said. "Would you like me to go ask him?"

"No. Do not bother," Rin said, frowning. "Just forget it. Mylo is not going to run the risk of letting his precious trophy escape anytime soon."

Topaz blinked and sighed. She was not surprised to see that Rin hadn't given in as easily as Mylo had thought. Rin raised her fingers to the base of her throat.

"This, however," She said, tugging slightly on the small pouch. "Has got to go. Soon. Preferably before I go insane. I will insist on that until he caves in."

"It cuts off your connection with Pie," Topaz said with realization. Rin nodded.

"I do not like being cut off from him," She said softly. "I know I am safe when I can feel him. Even if he is across the galaxy, as long as I can touch his mind with mine, I know he is okay. And he knows I am okay."

Topaz saw a crystal tear run down Rin's cheek. She moved over to behind Rin and began washing her curls, lathering them with sweet-smelling soap.

"Rin, do you know why I have been pursuing Pie for all these years?" Topaz asked softly.

"No," Rin said. "Why?"

"It is because he is to you what Mylo is to me," Topaz said. "You and Pie are twins, but he has always been Onii-Chan to you: big brother, protector. Mylo is my cousin, but he is Onii-Chan to me. He looks out for me and tries to keep me safe and happy. You know how when we were kids, Pie used to only eat half of his food, then give the rest to you or Kisshu, Rirī, Taruto or another little kid? Well, Mylo used to do the same for me. That's what made me notice Pie, because one day I saw Pie give Rirī some food from his plate. It wasn't much, but it was still half of his meal. I saw her eyes brighten and she threw her arms around him, saying 'Arigato Onii-Chan!'.

"You know how all little girls want to find a husband just like their daddy? Well, I wanted one like my older cousin. I saw a lot of Mylo's protective and loving traits in Pie. That's why I've been pursuing him for all these years, despite how many times he rejects me."

"I wish Mylo had extended the same 'Onii-Chan love' to Kish that he did to you," Rin snapped.

Topaz sighed and picked up a pitcher of water to rinse Rin's hair.

"So do I," She said, carefully pouring the water over Rin's head. "Mylo has never explained to me why he never got along with Kish, why he never tried. I think they both would have been much happier, though, if they had gotten along."

"And we would not be in the middle of a war," Rin mumbled.

Topaz studied Rin.

"You don't love him," She said. "But you agreed to marry him anyways. Why?"

Rin gave Topaz a 'why do you think?' look.

Topaz sighed.

"Mylo's not that bad," She said. "He tries really hard and he's really sweet—"

"When he is not trying to take over the world," Rin finished. She sighed and started to lift herself out of the tub. "I think I am done." She said coolly.

Topaz nodded.

"I'll get your towel," She said.

After Rin was dried off, Topaz helped her into fresh clothes. Rin frowned as she studied her new nightgown. It was made of thin and silky cream material with a knee-length skirt and gauzy transparent sleeves and a low neckline, accenting her bust. Topaz also dried Rin's hair and tied it into a ponytail with a ribbon. Rin said nothing the entire time.

Topaz helped Rin back into bed and laid the covers over her.

"Is there anything else you need?" She asked.

"No." Rin whispered, back to fiddling with the small bag around her neck.

"Food? Water? Something to read?" Topaz pressed.

"Nothing," Rin said. She turned on her side, pressing her arms against her stomach, wishing the hunger pains would disappear. Though she doubted Mylo would drug her food, her strict training wouldn't let her take anything he offered her. She mentally cringed at thinking of the instructor smacking her hand if she even thought for a second that she should accept the food.

"There is nothing you can do for me." She whispered.

Topaz gave a sad sigh.

"I will let you be, then," She said with a small bow before floating out of the room.

Rin buried her face in her pillow to hide the tears that streaked down her cheeks.

She just wanted to be home.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"She has to be starving," Pie said softly as he gazed out the window. The humans stared at him in confusion mingled with shock. Kish, Rirī and Tart's heads each shot up with wide-eyes.

"You… you think Mylo would deprive Rin of food?" Lettuce whispered.

Pie shook his head, his eyes blank.

"No. Rin's training will be what deprives her of food," He said.

The three teenaged Cyniclons exchanged worried glances.

"He's slipping," Rirī whispered to Kish and Tart, who both nodded. Rōzu frowned, not quite understanding what Rirī was implying. Kish stood up, his chair scraping against the kitchen floor. He went over to Pie and hauled him to his feet.

"Come on, bedtime," Kish said. Pie nodded half-heartedly and let Kish lead him upstairs.

Ichigo looked at Rirī and Tart.

"What was _that_ about?" She whispered.

"We… we cannot tell you at this time," Rirī said, not meeting anyone's eyes.

Keiichiro frowned.

"If it may have something to do with Rin and rescuing her, we should know. Now," He snapped. Keiichiro and Pie had not been on the best of terms over the past two days, though Pie seemed apathetic about it. Well, actually, he was kind of apathetic about everything.

Tart sighed.

"It has nothing to do with this," He said. "It's… well, it's complicated and we'll leave it at that."

The others exchanged glances, but said nothing and went back to their planning.

An hour later, they had their plan.

By tomorrow evening, Rin would be home.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Mylo slipped into the room and floated over to the bedside. Carefully, so as to not disturb the sleeping angel, he slipped under the covers and next to her.

Rin's indigo eyes opened to see Mylo lying beside her and he smiled, stroking her cheek.

"How are you feeling, my flower?" He asked.

Rin frowned and rolled over onto her other side. Mylo frowned and grabbed her shoulders, rolling her flat onto her back.

"You will answer me when I speak to you," He snapped. "Whether we are married or not, you will submit yourself to me."

"I refuse to degrade myself to that level," Rin spat, turning her head. Mylo grabbed her chin, forcing her to look back at him. He straddled her so that he could hold her tight and limit her movements.

"You will act as if you are already my wife, and I your husband," Mylo growled into her face. "I am master of your life now, the controller of your every thought and movement. Your body, heart and mind belong to me."

Rin glared.

"You can do what you want to me, you can abuse me, make me go from one place to another, force me to bear your children, but you will never have my mind or my heart. For my mind is far more superior than yours, and you know it. I can calculate the distance between Earth's sun and Cynnth's far moon in terms of pi in my head in less than ten seconds. I know the exact chemical make-up of every object in this room. I can read, speak and understand twenty different languages. My mind is vast and full of information, but it is also full of free thoughts.

"And as for my heart, it only belongs to one man. And that man will never be you. I love Keiichiro Akasaka, because he is twice—no, three times the man you will ever be."

Mylo shook slightly and his grip around Rin's chin tightened.

"You choose a human over me?" He whispered. "A filthy, disgusting, inferior human!"

"A human with a brilliant mind, a gentle touch, and a loving heart," Rin said. "I will always love him. You may force me to marry you, take away my innocence and have me bear your children, but I will always, always love him."

He knew instantly that this wasn't the fever talking as he had assumed. This was her act of rebellion, one he was determined to get out of her before their wedding. He would rid her of her rebellious spirit so that she could take up her duties as his devoted wife and mother of his children. The first step to that was to show her who was in charge in this relationship.

Mylo, his eyes burning, smacked Rin across the face with a sharp 'crack'.

Rin turned her head back to Mylo and smirked, though her cheek throbbed.

"That the best you can do?" She whispered.

Mylo grinned evilly.

"I've just begun," He said. "Tonight, you will love me. Tonight, you will forget about that human man. Tonight, you will realize that you were mine a long time ago."

Mylo pressed his lips to hers. She kept them firmly closed, desperate to keep his tongue out of her mouth, but it was fruitless. Mylo pulled down her chin, making her clenched jaw come unclenched, forcing his tongue into her mouth. While he did this, he slid one hand underneath her skirt, rubbing her leg just above her knee, while the other trailed over her side, over her chest.

Rin trembled with anger and she suddenly and sharply closed her jaw. Mylo recoiled, blood dripping from his mouth.

"You bit me!" He said, surprised.

But Rin was not done. She had been lying in wait far too long.

Ignoring the pain in her ankle, she sharply brought her knee up, catching Mylo between the legs. As he roared with pain, she leapt onto him, pinning his arms behind his back.

"Never. Touch. Me. Again." She whispered in his ear.

Mylo teleported, throwing her off balance. From behind her, he grabbed her wrists and once again chained her to the wall. He grabbed her chin and stared into her eyes.

"I will free you when you have learned your place," He snapped.

Rin smirked, a drop of his blood running down her chin. If he hadn't been so angry, he would have thought it was sexy.

"Then what you will free is a corpse," She said.

Mylo growled at her, but let her be, teleporting out of the room.

Rin laid back, taking deep breaths, willing her ankle to stop throbbing. She closed her eyes to block out the pain.

"Come soon, Pie," She whispered. "Come soon. I don't know how much longer I can tough this out."

* * *

**Will the Tokyo Defenders be able to rescue Rin? Can she hold out much longer? Find out Monday! :)**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three:

"I'm coming too."

Ichigo and Kish looked up from the map at Keiichiro.

"Keiichiro… are you sure?" Ichigo asked. "You're not much of a fighter, no offense."

"I survived the battle in Iriomote City, didn't I?" Keiichiro said. "And I want to be there when Rin is rescued.

The two looked at each other and nodded.

"Alright, you can come," Kish said. "Do you still have your sword?"

Keiichiro nodded and went upstairs to get it.

"Has anyone actually seen him use it?" Kish muttered to his teammates.

"He practices with it every now and then," Ryou said.

"Well, he hasn't killed or maimed anyone with it yet," Tart said.

"It's the 'yet' that frankly bothers me," Lettuce said softly.

Zakuro sighed.

"In the end, it doesn't matter," She said. "He wants to come and he has a right to come. He's been worried sick about Rin, and I have no doubts that she misses him. I think this will be easier for both of them if they are able to see each other."

The others nodded. Keiichiro returned a few minutes later, sword in hand. Homare went over to him, something in her hand.

"Here," She said, placing the small object in Keiichiro's palm. "It's one of the spare earpieces. I've already got it programmed to the same channel as the others. This will make communicating easier if you all have to split up."

He nodded and tucked it into his ear.

Ichigo and Kish looked around at the others, making sure everyone was transformed with weapons.

"Everyone ready?" Ichigo asked. Her response was quiet nods. Ichigo nodded herself.

"Then let Operation Storm the Castle and Rescue the Princess commence!" Ichigo said.

And, with that, the Tokyo Defenders teleported out of Café Mew Mew.

"Good luck," Masaya mumbled as the teleportation portal closed.

"Bring her back," Homare whispered, swallowing her tears.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

"Have you changed your mind yet?" Mylo asked as he towered over Rin, who merely stared up at him blankly, unresponsive.

Mylo growled under his breath. Why was she always so full of life and happiness around others, but when he was around she acts in the same cold and emotionless way as her twin?

"Answer me!" Mylo demanded.

Rin merely rolled her eyes and looked away, to Mylo's fury.

"You will listen to me and answer me when I speak to you!" Mylo yelled at her.

Rin lazily rolled her head around to glance up at him. She cocked an eyebrow.

"Despite what you believe, I am not scared of you, nor am I submissive to your petty demands. I do not respond to your temper, nor your charm, nor any other emotion you bring before me." She said coolly. "I am not yours to control. I am my own person and I listen only to my own commands. There is nothing you can do to change that."

Mylo fumed.

"I see that this is not enough for you to learn your place," He said evenly as he ran a finger over the chains above her head. He held Rin's gaze as he put his hands on either side of her head, his knees on either side of her hips.

"I will not take back my promise to you just yet," He said. "But if you keep pushing my temper, I shall. For now, I will give you a reminder of who is in charge…"

Rin showed no fear in her eyes as Mylo's hand trailed along her side, getting closer and closer to the neckline of her nightgown. But inside she cried.

She needed a miracle.

Soon.

Meanwhile, in the main area of the base, the other members of Mylo's gang hung around lazily. Topaz let Bell braid her hair while Chile and Pepper played video games as they floated in midair with their legs folded. Zen sat with a manga magazine on the couch while Jalapeno worked on fixing a broken piece of tech and Cayenne wrote in a leather-bound journal.

Zen glanced up briefly and his eyes widened as he leapt to his feet at seeing the Tokyo Defenders and Keiichiro appear in their lounge area.

"What are you all doing here?" Zen demanded, but before he could get an answer, the others started speaking.

"Aw, and I was just about to beat Chile Nii-Chan, too," Pepper complained as she dropped her controller onto the couch.

"Don't you know it's rude to drop in unannounced?" Bell said, bringing out her sword.

"We don't just randomly appear in your freakishly pink and girly headquarters," Chile said as he stood up.

The Tokyo Defenders, however, were in no mood for bantering.

"Keiichiro, go," Ichigo whispered. Keiichiro nodded and got ready to run as Ichigo lifted her Strawberry Bell.

"Ribbon Strawberry Check!"

With a squeal, Topaz ducked. Keiichiro ran down the hall, beginning his search for Rin.

"Hey, what gives?" Cayenne demanded a few minutes later as he pressed his sword against Kish's. "If you're going to attack us, then give us a reason!"

"How about instead you give us back Rin Onee-Chan, na no da!" Pudding yelled angrily across the battle.

That was when everything stopped.

Topaz froze while her teammates looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" Zen asked. That was when they noticed that Warrior Rindou wasn't there.

"What do you think we're talking about, baka!" Rirī growled. "Mylo kidnapped Rin!"

That was when the Tokyo Defenders realized something was wrong. Very wrong.

Cayenne, Jalapeno and Zen exchanged horrified looks. Chile, Bell and Pepper looked confused. Topaz just stood, trembling.

Cayenne slowly turned towards Topaz.

"You knew," He whispered. "You knew she was here."

Topaz squeaked, but nodded, sniffling.

"How long?" Zen demanded angrily. "How long has she been here?"

"Four days," Topaz whispered.

"You knew he was going to do it, didn't you?" Zen said, clenching his fists. "Did you help him?"

Topaz shook her head.

"No! No, I didn't know until he came to me, asking me to help take care of her. Mylo made me promise not to tell… I'm sorry…" She said softly, tears falling down her cheeks.

Cayenne said nothing, but turned and flew out of the room, disappearing before anyone had a chance to follow him or even have a clue as to where he was going.

He just hoped he wasn't too late.

Chile, Bell and Pepper all looked at each other, not sure what was happening. So Chile lifted his hand and sent a non-infusing parasite to hit the ground near Lettuce's feet. She screamed in surprise and the fight resumed.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Mylo looked up at the sound of the door opening, fuming. Who dared disturb him while he 'visited' Rin?

Mylo snarled at the intruder. Rin tilted her head and relaxed her muscles, allowing herself a small smile.

"You!" Mylo growled.

"Keiichiro…" Rin whispered.

Keiichiro glared at Mylo, his usual kind brown eyes full of hatred and fury as he glanced at Rin's gaunt face, her tired eyes, her swollen ankle, her red and chaffed wrists dangling from chains. He gripped his sword tighter. Mylo was going to pay dearly for this…

"Only you? The baker trying to play knight-in-shining-armor?" Mylo sneered, reluctantly getting off Rin, pulling out his own sword. "Well, you can play knight all you want, but I am Prince and she is my Princess. You will not win."

"You are wrong," Keiichiro said, his voice a low but deadly whisper. "Rin is not a Princess. She is Queen. And as her servant, I will rescue my Queen."

"So be it," Mylo spat as he materialized his sword in his hand. "I look forward to your death, _slave_."

And, with that, Mylo slashed with his sword, Keiichiro barely able to block the blow aimed for his head. Mylo twisted his arm, the side of his blade slicing along Keiichiro's cheekbone.

Rin bit back a gasp. Keiichiro may have been good with the blade, but Mylo still had the upper hand of years of training and experience. And she knew Mylo would take great pleasure in killing Keiichiro in front of her, showing her once and for all that she was trapped, forever to be Mylo's prize.

Keiichiro was also fully aware of this. He just hoped that if for nothing else he was able to delay or distract Mylo long enough for one of the others to get her out of there. He knew that soon someone would break away from the fight to come to rescue Rin, get her away from Mylo.

And someone did come. Just not who any of them were expecting.

Mylo knocked Keiichiro to the ground, his sword out of reach. Smirking, Mylo raised his sword, going in for the kill…

When another sword blocked his blow.

Mylo's eyes widened in surprised to see Cayenne standing before him, his eyes ablaze.

"Stop this, Mylo," Cayenne said firmly.

"Get out of my way!" Mylo sneered, but Cayenne stood his ground.

"Mylo, listen to me," Cayenne said, his voice still firm. "Is this really what you want? Is your desire for her to love you this great that you won't even give her a choice?"

"Stay out of this!" Mylo yelled, but Cayenne's stare did not waver, nor did his hold on his sword.

"Is she happy? Look at her right now and tell me she's happy!" Cayenne demanded.

Mylo glanced over at Rin. Even he couldn't deny that she looked miserable, and in pain. Mylo lowered his sword.

"No," He admitted, not meeting Cayenne's eyes.

Cayenne, keeping one eye on Mylo, stepped over to Rin and knelt beside the bed. She flinched as he placed his hand on her forehead.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Cayenne murmured to Rin. To Mylo, he said, "She has a fever. When was the last time she ate or drank?"

Mylo hesitated before saying,

"Not since before she arrived. I keep trying to get her to eat something, or at least have some water, but she refuses."

Keiichiro glanced at Rin in surprise. So Pie was right; Rin was denying herself food while imprisoned. But… why was she doing so?

Cayenne stood up.

"She's going to waste away if she stays here," He said. "We both know that she is stubborn enough to keep fasting until she dies. And even if that doesn't kill her…" Cayenne glanced apologetically at Rin before placing his hand on the foot of her broken ankle. Rin emitted a small shriek of pain. Keiichiro and Mylo both took a step towards her, but Cayenne's glare was enough to stop them both in their tracks. "None of us have the experience to heal her ankle. A medpod won't do. Her ankle is swollen and is probably starting to mend the bones in the wrong places. Not to mention that she is probably starting to get an infection. And even if that doesn't kill her, I know she will find a way to change that. She is going to die one way or another here, before any vows can be exchanged between you two."

Cayenne stared at Mylo's horrified face as he stared at Rin, slowly realizing that Cayenne was right.

"Let her go, Mylo," Cayenne said softly. "Let her live. If you truly love her, let her go."

Mylo lowered his head. He reached in his pocket and threw a ring of keys at Keiichiro's feet, which he bent slowly down to pick up, keeping his eyes on Mylo the whole time.

"Take her and go," Mylo whispered. "Make her better. But know that I have not given up on her, won't rest until she is mine. I will love her till the day I die. You haven't won yet, baker."

Mylo went over and gently kissed Rin's forehead. She drew away from him, glancing at him suspiciously.

"Rindou," Mylo whispered as he stood up, turning away from her. "Bye-bye, my flower."

And, with that, he left the room.

As Keiichiro fumbled with the keys to free Rin from her chains and restrictors, Cayenne said,

"Sorry to steal your hero moment."

"No, thank you," Keiichiro said. "If you hadn't come when you did, I would probably be dead." Keiichiro studied Cayenne as he stared at the door. "But… why did you?"

Cayenne shrugged, glancing over at Keiichiro and Rin, both of whom were listening intently for the answer.

"I just did what I knew was right." He said. With that, he left the room without another word.

"Keiichiro…" Rin whispered as she flexed her wrist, freed of the restrictors. "You came… The others…?"

"Everyone is fine, and of course I came," Keiichiro said, getting her to sit up so that he could unlock the choker. He smiled at her as she looked up at him with feverish eyes. "I had to rescue my queen."

With that, he scooped Rin into his arms, Rin putting her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.

"You're really hot," Keiichiro commented. Through the thin fabric of her nightgown, he could feel her fever.

"I know I am," Rin said, a bit smugly. Keiichiro smiled, glad to see that she could at least make a joke. That, or she was delusional.

"Are you in pain?" He asked. She nodded.

"Ankle feels like it's full of spikes," She muttered. "Otherwise, I'm okay."

"Then… Mylo… he didn't…" Keiichiro asked worriedly. Rin shook her head.

"No, he didn't. I tricked him so that he promised he wouldn't do _that_…" She said. She buried her face further into his shoulder, clenching his shirt with a hiss as her ankle jostled slightly, sending new sparks of pain shooting through her body. "Keiichiro, I wanna go home…"

"I know you do," Keiichiro whispered back. "We're almost back to the others. Pie, Kish, Tart and Rirī are going to teleport us to Cynnth so we can get your ankle fixed."

Rin's ears pricked up at hearing her twin's name. She reached out with her mind and for the first time in days found him, to her relief. She felt Keiichiro stop walking and when she turned her head, she saw Pie standing there, gently stroking her hair. Instantly, she loosened her grip on Keiichiro and held her arms out for Pie like a child. He carefully lifted her from a disgruntled Keiichiro's arms and held her tightly, reforming the bond that they thought they'd never have again. She bit her lip, tears pricking her eyes as she tucked her head under Pie's chin. She had missed this, their connection, his mind touching hers, the warmth they gave each other, the feeling that everything was alright.

_It is okay, Rin,_ Pie whispered to her through their bond. _It is over. You can cry now._

And she did, clutching tightly to Pie's shirt and burying her face in his chest as they teleported out of Mylo's base, releasing the tears she had been holding back for days.

Cayenne watched as the Tokyo Defenders disappeared from his hiding spot, then from behind him, he heard:

"I thought you, of all people, would understand, Cayenne. After all, aren't you desperate to have the one you love return the feelings, even though she is quite attached to another?"

Cayenne turned to glare at Mylo.

"No matter how much I love her, I wouldn't capture her to show her that," He snapped.

Mylo smirked.

"Well, I personally think you should. At the rate you're going, she'll never know your true feelings."

With that, he teleported away, leaving Cayenne in the painful silence in knowing Mylo was right.

* * *

**Yay! Rin's been rescued!**

**This story arc is not over yet, folks. Two more chapters!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Alright, so I noticed a developing pattern in the reviews so I will say these two things. 1: No, don't worry, you haven't missed anything. I have yet to officially reveal in the story who it is that Cayenne loves. I will not do so until AUltimatum. Which is why 2: I will neither confirm nor deny any guessing between now and then. There are indeed hints, probably not the subtlest of hints, but hints nonetheless of who it is. But I will not openly answer (nor will the characters) because, come on, what fun would that be? ;)**

**On with the story! Almost done with this arc!**

Chapter Twenty-Four:

A few hours later, Rin slept soundly in a hospital bed in Iriomote City. She had a IV drip in the crook of her elbow giving her fluids and pain medication. She was scheduled for surgery the following morning, though the Healers did express that they wished that she had regained some of her weight before doing so, but also knew that the sooner they treated her ankle the better. Pie sat in the chair beside her, silently guarding her.

The humans and Rōzu realized that something was going on, and they had yet to be given an explanation. To Keiichiro's annoyance (and jealously), he had not been allowed to see Rin for several hours while they were examining her, though Pie was allowed to constantly stay by her side. Rin seemed to know something was going to happen, because she asked that they delay giving her pain medication, though very few were aware of the connection.

Though it was quite clear that she was still in pain and a bit groggy, she was able to ignore it in order to spend some time with her friends and family, reassuring everyone that she was fine, especially Keiichiro, who was still quite worried about her.

However, it was clear that she also had some questions that she hoped to have answered.

"Papa, Mama, I've got an odd question for you," Rin said as one of the Assistant Healers removed the tray that had held her dinner. Despite the fact that it had been five days since her last meal, she ate very little, which concerned everyone, but Risa and the other Healers assured them that once her strength was back and her pain lessened, her appetite would return.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Risa asked, stroking her daughter's hair.

Rin hesitated.

"Like I said, it's very odd," She muttered. She took a deep breath and said, "Was Mylo's mother pregnant with him when she and Alec Oji-San married?"

Curry and Risa's brows both furrowed as the others glanced in confusion. Indeed, Rin's question was an odd one.

"Technically," Curry answered. "They had had a private ceremony prior to Alec leaving for an off-planet assignment. It had just been the two of them, and no one knew about it until he returned from the mission. When he returned, she was pregnant and they had a more formal ceremony for family and friends, so I guess you could say they were married twice. Why do you ask?"

"Something Mylo said," Rin muttered, rubbing her forehead with her fingers, her eyes closed. "Don't think he knew about the private ceremony… Don't care, really, that he doesn't know. It ended up saving me." She grimaced slightly and shifted uncomfortably, the pain becoming too hard to ignore now. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry, but I think I'm ready for some morphine now."

None of the humans knew what the connection was, but everyone was asked to leave the room the moment the medication entered her system. The only one who could stay was Pie, to the annoyance of Keiichiro and the resignation of the other Ikisatashis. Even the Healers and Assistant Healers had to get permission from Pie to enter.

The older Ikisatashis were quite visibly on edge and nervous about something, but they never said what it was about. Rōzu was the most confused out of them all. She didn't know what was going on, and she was quite scared for how it seemed to be connected to Rin and Pie. She also wondered why everyone in her family seemed to know but her. She and the humans did their best to try and find out in any way they could.

"Kish, is something wrong?" Ichigo asked quietly as Kish came back from getting coffee, having paused to check on the twins on his way back.

"No, nothing's wrong, why?" Kish asked, trying—and failing—to sound nonchalant.

"They why is no one allowed in the room with Rin except Pie and the Healers?" Ichigo pressed.

Kish hesitated and gulped his coffee, burning his mouth.

"Look," Kish said, wincing as he did so. "I promise, we'll tell you. Today has just been too long of a day and everyone's tired. Tomorrow, after Rin's cleared pre-op. Okay?"

Ichigo frowned, but nodded before secretly reporting back to the others.

"Wonder what's going on, and why it's such a big secret," Mint said.

"I really wanna know, but Mama and Papa won't tell me," Rōzu said with a pout.

"Have they acted like this before?" Lettuce asked.

Rōzu thought for a moment before responding.

"Not exactly like this, but there always seems to be something going on whenever Pie or Rin get really hurt," She said.

"What do you mean?" Masaya asked, brow furrowed.

"Well, there was this one time that during a practice spar, Pie ended up with a broken tooth. Usually, that's really easy to fix: you go to a Healer who specializes in teeth, they give you something to knock you out, they remove the tooth, you get some painkillers when you wake up, wait a few weeks for the new tooth to grow, end of story. But, with Pie, he couldn't be directly taken to the Healers. The head of the academy, Chai-Sofu, and a few others including Mama and Rishi-Sobo spent hours arguing over what to do, because they seemed afraid of something related to giving Pie the anesthetic. It took forever, but they finally sent Pie to the Healers, but Rin was the only one who could be around him. I know it frustrated Mama a lot because we couldn't see either of them until the next day." Rōzu explained.

"That's really weird," Ryou said with a frown.

Rōzu nodded in agreement.

"I never found out why it took so long, or what the problem was," She said. "I just know things get weird whenever Pie and Rin were hurt."

Tart frowned from where he hid, eavesdropping on the conversation. He quickly went over to his parents, Kish and Rirī, all of whom had just gone to check on the twins for the umpteenth time.

"We gotta tell them," He said. "Especially Keiichiro, Lettuce and Rōzu. They got to know that they'll never know everything about Pie and Rin."

His older siblings and parents nodded.

"Tomorrow," Curry said. "We will tell them tomorrow."

Risa stayed at the hospital while the others went back to the Ikisatashi house, relieving Vanilla and Yuzu of taking care of Asagao, but the two also stayed the night so that they could resume watching her in the morning. When the humans asked Vanilla and Yuzu about what was going on, they both hesitated and looked nervous, putting on fake smiles and assuring them that everything was fine. This did not do anything to truly reassure anyone.

The following morning at the hospital, they found Rin in a foul mood and demanding coffee while Risa and Pie tried their best to tell her that it just wasn't going to happen. It was clear that Rin was very drugged up as her eyes were glassy and she couldn't seem to stop talking, nor stay on a particular subject. Pie seemed to be listening intently to her, but every now and then it seemed like she strayed to a topic she shouldn't have, as Pie would quickly squeeze her wrist. She instantly stopped talking and blinked a few times before going back to a safer topic.

A young Healer walked in the room and introduced himself saying that he would be the one to perform Rin's surgery. After doing a final exam of her ankle and assuring everyone that the surgery was quite simple and would only take a few hours followed by a stint in a medpod the next day, he ordered the assistant Healers to take Rin to the pre-op room for the final dose of anesthesia.

After Rin was given final hugs, she was ready to be wheeled out of the room. However, they ran into a slight problem that only confused the humans and Rōzu more and put the other Ikisatashis in an awkward position.

Pie began to follow Rin out of the room, but the Healer stopped him, blocking his path.

"I'm sorry, but I need you to stay in the waiting room," He said. Pie merely arched an eyebrow at him, almost in confusion, to the Healer's ire. "Sir," The man said, trying and failing to keep anger out of his voice. "You may be a general, but I outrank you here."

Kish and Tart groaned silently while Rirī anxiously looked at her parents. They all knew that this man had just made a huge mistake and had just seriously ticked off Pie. And that—in trying to be sympathetic to Rin and not tempt her craving any further—had yet to have a cup of coffee that morning.

Piece of advice: if you're going to tick off Pie, do it after his first cup of coffee. Your punishment and Pie's scariness will be considerably less after that first cup.

And the Healer quickly saw that Pie—who stood half a foot taller with hard and tired eyes—was probably the scariest thing he would ever encounter.

"Tell me," Pie said in a blank voice. "When did you get your Healer's license?"

"Six… six months ago," The man stuttered.

Pie suddenly smirked evilly. The one he got when he came up with the perfect plan to utterly destroy an enemy, the one that Pudding swore looked exactly like the Grinch's, a smirk that struck fear into the hearts of many.

"Ah," He said, like things were coming together. "A newbie, then. Let me guess, one of the other Healers recommended you for Rin's treatment. My guess would be Healer Ginzing…"

"Yes, h-how did you know?" The Healer asked with wide eyes.

"Pie-Chan, don't make a scene," Rin called chidingly from the hallway. Then she laughed, probably to herself. "Too late for that, isn't it? You're in full-scene-mode, aren't you?"

"Quite," Pie responded. Pie glowered at the Healer, who shrank at Pie's stare. "Since you are new, I will explain the rules to you. These rules were not created by my sister and myself, rather they were created _for_ us, as well as you."

"M-me?" The Healer stuttered.

Pie nodded.

"Yes. And if you do not follow them, you can be given a military execution." He said.

"But I never even went to the Academy!" The Healer protested.

"Does not matter," Pie said. "These rules, created by a committee of military officers, weapons masters and other highly skilled and trained individuals, are issued to every Healer, trainee Healer and assistant Healer at the Cynnth Military Academy and Iriomote City Hospital. They are supposed to be given in advance to the newcomers, however Healer Ginzing makes a habit of this 'slipping his mind'. Getting old, in my opinion…"

"Hey!" A male voice said defensively from the hall. The others quickly realized that that was the Healer Ginzing in question, eavesdropping. Like he knew that this was going to happen.

Pie continued to speak, almost as if he was reading from a book:

"As Healer Ginzing has once again failed to do so, I will state the rules clearly and plainly to you. They state that if either my twin or myself is injured, ill or generally in pain that requires a treatment that uses pain-killers and anesthetic—general, local or regional—or results in a being in a lucid state, the other twin is required to stay with the sick or injured twin to ensure that no one learns any military grade, top secret information that we both have stored in our memories. Anyone—Healer or otherwise—who does not comply with these rules is given a military execution. The only exclusions to this—and this is primarily in emergency life-or-death situations—is a Senior Healer who goes by the name of Rishi-Sobo, Healer Ikisatashi Risa, and Trainee Healer Ikisatashi Rirī."

The humans and Ikisatashis were just as white-faced as the Healer, who kept opening and closing his mouth, at a loss for words.

A older Cyniclon man came around the corner and put his hands on the younger Healer's shoulders.

"My apologies," He said. "But this is my favorite initiation ritual for the new ones. One I rarely get to use…" He grinned up at Pie. "Alright, you have tortured him enough, Pie-San. It would be best for you to hurry on before Rin-Chan sleeps off all of that anesthetic before her ankle is healed."

Pie gave a quick jerk of his head and a frown aimed at the man, but said nothing more.

Risa gave a low growl as she glared at the man as Pie and the Healer—glancing apprehensively at Pie—walked out of the room and down the hall.

"Must you, Ginzing?" Risa snapped.

"My apologies, Healer Ikisatashi," Ginzing said with a bow, still grinning. "But we both know it is for the best for the new Healers to have a healthy fear of your two… makes it a lot easier for things to go smoother, the rules upheld… I shall never forget the time Rin made that one girl cry, oh, she was so mad that day…"

He paused as he noticed that Risa was still annoyed and his grin disappeared.

"I am sorry, though, Risa," He said softly. "I know that all this makes you uncomfortable, doubly so when one is injured. Though I will admit that the way you baby your children when any one of them is ill or hurt makes me wonder why you let all this start in the first place."

Risa scowled and and the fire in her eyes intensified by a million degrees.

"You know Curry and I had little to no say in the matter," She snapped as she took a few steps forward, clutching onto the door. "It was a done-deal by the time we first learned about this."

With that, she slammed the door and locked it, her fists clenched as she turned back to look at the stunned others. She nodded to Curry, Kish, Rirī and Tart and they nodded in response. Instantly, Curry and Kish began putting up some sort of shield around the room while Risa and Rirī closed the curtains and Tart turned on the lamp but left the other lights off.

"What's going on?" Rōzu demanded. She wanted to know what was going on, why there were so many 'rules' and secrets surrounding her eldest siblings. She also starting to get scared. Why hadn't she ever had those answers?

Finally, the five elder Ikisatashis stopped moving. Risa grabbed Curry's hand and he pulled her close, comfortingly. They all glanced at each other before Kish started to speak.

"There's… something about Pie and Rin… something we've never told you, that they'd never tell unless it was important." He took a deep breath then met eye-contact with everyone. "And what we tell you does not leave this room."

The humans and Rōzu felt a chill down their spines at that.

"O-okay," Lettuce said nervously.

"What is it?" Mint asked in a whisper.

"Before the Mew Aqua and the Earth mission, Pie and Rin were asked to take part in several programs created by our military leaders because of the skills they possessed and used together. One of these skills surprised us all and was quickly put to use." Curry said.

"Skill?" Homare whispered.

"To do what?" Rōzu asked, desperately wracking her brain for an answer.

The one given, however, surprised them all as Curry smiled sadly.

"Espionage."

* * *

**So... No one was expecting that... Explanation: Coming soon! ;)**

**Also, is it wrong that I liked writing scary-Pie, which is one of the reasons why I love this chapter? Scary-Pie is... scary... but also at the same time hot... *drools slightly***  
**Ichigo: Pay no attention to the crazy author.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five:

The humans and Rōzu stared at the elder Cyniclons, completely stunned.

"Wait, so you're saying Pie and Rin were-?" Zakuro said, blinking a few times.

"Spies," Kish repeated, running his fingers through his green locks. "Yeah."

"You mind going into a little more detail on this one?" Ichigo asked.

"We can tell you as much as we can, which, admittedly, is not much," Risa said softly. She sighed. "As you know, the twins were brought to the Academy earlier than most students. They received training, but they were also given their very own laboratory. There, they worked together, bringing Rin's artistic talents and Pie's mechanical aptitude together and combined it with their shared knowledge to create weapons."

"They were weapon designers too?" Ryou said, his eyes wide.

Suddenly, things began to click: how Kish was able to make any kind of Chimera he wanted whenever he wanted, but Pie was much more precise and planning, genetically engineering the beast methodically, leaving little room for error and defeat. There had been many times when the Mews had a narrow victory when faced with these Chimeras, leaving the battlefield wondering just how close they were to having just lost the entire war. And, once, had it not been for Kish's intervention, they knew for certain that they would have all died. There were times when Kish's Chimeras left them asking themselves "just how close", but it also seemed like Kish put very little effort into creating the beasts of destruction, unlike the ones Pie created. Kish's skill came naturally… and so did Pie's.

"Yeah, and really good ones at that," Tart said. He brought out his click-clacks and dangled them off his finger. "Pie and Rin made these for me when I was six, designed to match my fighting style, as well as improve as I did. That's why I still fight with them and always will."

"The weapons Pie and Rin created were sold or traded so that Cynnth could receive food in return," Risa said. "Other planets and alien species bought them for their own wars. When Pie and Rin were eight years old, they were brought to one of these planets to demonstrate their weapons. While they were there, they had a practice sparring match with some other soldiers accompanying them. One of the planet's leaders saw them fight and, knowing of the Cyniclons abilities to fly, teleport and create Chimeras, introduced them to espionage, teaching them a few things and then sending them to retrieve something from an opponent who had stolen important documents from him."

"After that, Pie and Rin were hired out often as spies and thieves in addition to personalized weapon creators, able to handle any situation they encountered, particularly security, thanks to their shared fighting ability." Curry said. His voice lowered. "And… one day, they were approached to take on a completely new assignment, one they had never been approached with before. They were asked to be assassins."

There was silence in the small room.

"And… they accepted, didn't they?" Lettuce whispered as she twisted her promise ring, remembering the words Pie had said prior to giving her the ring. That many Cyniclon warriors had killed before their eleventh birthday… She had wondered, but now she knew that both Pie and Rin were among that number.

The five elder Ikisatashis nodded solemnly.

"Why don't I remember any of this?" Rōzu asked in a whisper.

"You were too little at the time to really know and piece things together," Curry said. "Do you remember how Pie and Rin often took trips off of Cynnth, and how when they returned they always brought you treats?"

Rōzu thought for a moment before nodding.

"They always brought back candy, or another kind of sweet," She said thoughtfully. "They never told me where they got them, though."

"Because they couldn't," Kish said. "They were never able to tell us anything about where they went, or what they did there. Anything they were able to bring back was food. Something that could be eaten, easily gotten rid of. They were afraid to bring technology, clothing, toys, art, anything that could be traced back to the planet they had just been on."

"They did it for us," Rirī said. "To make sure that we weren't targeted. They became notorious, infamous. Over their eight-year career, they gathered a number of enemies. They have been called many names, many they both flinch at hearing. One of the most recurring names is the Midnight Twins."

"We only learned that piece of information inadvertently," Risa said softly. "Like everything else we know. What we have told you is all."

"You… you really don't know anything else?" Homare asked.

They shook their heads.

"We do not know how many assignments they took on. Sometimes we did not know they were leaving until they hurried home to say good-bye. Never knew how many assignments they took on at a time. Never knew when they would be back. Or if they would come back," Curry said.

"There is absolutely no documentation of anything Rin and Pie have done," Tart said. "There is no record of their assignments, the weapons they created and who they were sold to, and neither have a real medical record. Rin and Pie are the only ones who know everything, have it all stored up in their brains."

"That's why we have to be really careful about giving them painkillers or anesthetics, and I guess now that they're of legal age, alcohol." Rirī said. She ducked her head briefly and said softly, "I could have easily have been executed for performing surgery on Pie's leg a few months ago. That clause was put into place specifically for moments like those, when it's a life-or-death emergency. And even then I have to be really cautious."

"But you never gave Pie any anesthetic, and from what you said there was nothing you gave him that you wouldn't find in Earth aspirin," Ryou said.

"Exactly." Rirī said in a whisper. "In a way, it was a good thing for Pie that the shock, blood loss and Autumn knocking us out combined to keep him unconscious. Otherwise, he would have had to have been awake for the entire procedure, and there was nothing I could give him to reduce the pain."

Everyone winced, and suddenly felt a rush of gratitude to the mysterious Autumn.

"So, that's the reason Pie and Rin have to be near each other if one is hurt? To essentially get the other to shut up?" Shinji asked.

The Ikisatashis hesitated, then Kish said,

"Right now, Pie is standing beside Rin with a weapon in his hands—probably one of his fans, but it could also be a dagger or sword. Usually, Rin and Pie can get the other to stop talking if they start to stray, and occasionally they have enough discretion to get themselves to stop, but sometimes it'll come without warning. And if that happens... well, if that happens then Pie and Rin are legally allowed to kill anyone in the room at the time. Without any repercussions."

There was a moment of painful and stunned silence.

"S-seriously?" Masaya said, his eyes wide. Kish nodded solemnly.

"They both really hate that," Risa said. "They do not like knowing that if they say just one thing wrong while having absolutely no control will cost the life of someone who is trying to help them. Fortunately, to the best of our knowledge, this has not had to happen yet."

"Still, that's scary, na no da," Pudding said softly, shaking her head slightly.

"Is there really no one other than Rin and Pie who know about everything they've done?" Ichigo asked. "There's got to be at least one person…"

"There was," Curry said grimly.

"Was? What do you mean by that?" Mint asked.

Kish's eyes went hard.

"What position was I given upon returning from Earth with the Mew Aqua?" He asked.

"Head of Military," Rōzu answered, a little confused. Kish nodded.

"So what does that mean?" He pressed.

They all glanced at each other in confusion.

"We don't know," Ryou admitted.

"It means I had to replace someone," Kish said grimly.

"You would have replaced the former head of military," Ichigo said. "So, he…" She suddenly paled as she came to the realization of the point Kish was trying to get across. "Is dead." She muttered. Kish nodded again.

"In one of the last cave collapses. And with him, the entirety of Pie and Rin's records," Kish said. "He was their contact person, who was with them on every assignment, received every request, the negotiator of payment. He was also the one to train them, teach them everything they know."

"So, the training Pie mentioned, it came from him?" Lettuce asked.

"He mentioned his training?" Risa and Curry said together, eyes wide.

"Didn't reveal much, only what Mylo and the Healers confirmed: that as long as she was captured, Rin wasn't going to eat," Rirī said softly. "Neither of them are supposed to mention their training, or anything they learned from it. And especially not that they were spies."

"So, then how did you learn all this?" Keiichiro asked.

"Risa and I were told after the decision was made final," Curry said, not sounding pleased about that.

"And Kish and I figured it out on our own," Rirī said. "Mama and Papa just confirmed it. Originally, we had just been joking about it to ourselves, coming up with these elaborate stories for the reasons Pie and Rin were gone so often, and one of the stories we often made up was that they were spies. We were just kids, not much older than Rōzu is now, we didn't know any better. But we mentioned it to Mama and she got this scared look on her face and told us not to joke about that sort of thing, to never mention it to anyone. That was when we realized we were much closer to the truth than we thought. A few years after that, we told Tart when he started putting two and two together, and I think that Pie and Rin still don't know that he knows, or if they do they know not to mention it. We don't know when Vanilla and Yuzu figured it out, but we know that they know and they know that we know."

"But out of all of us, Kish knows the most," Tart commented.

"And that's not by much," Kish said.

"Did it come with your position, na no da?" Pudding asked. Kish shook his head.

"No, I actually learned a bit right before the Earth mission," He said. "I, well, I was being prepared to take Rin's place."

"Take her place?" Homare repeated with her brow furrowed.

"Yeah," Kish said. "The former head of military as well as a few others were in the process of forcing Rin to resign when the trials for the Earth Mission came up. She placed fourth, right after Tart."

"And not by much," Tart commented. "She should have had my place on the Earth Mission team. We all thought so, but she said I won the placement fairly. She didn't let me win, she was going for it just as strongly as the rest of us. And she was the only girl, too." He grinned. "You should have seen her. She was afraid of nothing, not even being in last place. I think that's what got her through to the end, that she didn't care where she was placed, she was just content with being in the trials."

"You know, if we had pissed off Deep Blue one more time, she would have been sent for," Kish said, smirking slightly. "Now that could have been interesting…"

"I think we would have lost. Badly," Zakuro said with a grimace as she thought of when Pie and Rin fought together, both looking incredibly scary and being deadly accurate.

Everyone nodded in agreement with her.

"But, if Rin got a pretty high placing, why did the military try to get her to resign?" Lettuce asked.

"We do not know, and neither will tell us," Curry said.

They sat in silence, drinking in the information, millions of new thoughts swimming in their heads.

"Why tell us this now?" Keiichiro asked.

"Because it is quite literally now or never," Risa said. "The twins would never voluntarily give this information to anyone."

"They're too scared of what might happen if one of their enemies finds them, or someone they care for," Kish said. "It's also the reason they are so possessive and protective of each other."

"You saw how Pie pretty much shut down the past few days," Rirī said. "And how when Pie's hurt or in trouble, Rin is beside herself with worry and sometimes can barely stop crying. They lose each other, they lose the last person they can talk to about these things, the only one who lived it with them. The only one with the same nightmares and fears, memories of good times and bad."

Risa gently took hold of Lettuce and Keiichiro's hands.

"I know there are times where they will really want to say something about their past, but they cannot. They can never be as open to you or anyone else, even if they wanted to. But I know that Pie loves you, Lettuce, the ring on your finger proves that. And I know Rin loves you dearly, Keiichiro, because you are the first man she's ever opened her heart to. You can be married for fifty, sixty, seventy years, or even die without knowing anything about their days as weapons designers and spies. But I pray that nothing takes away the love you feel for each other."

"I hope so too," Lettuce whispered, gazing at her promise ring on her hand.

"So do I," Keiichiro whispered.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

Rin watched as the door closed then slowly turned her head back to Keiichiro, who stood silently at the foot of the bed. This was the first time they had been alone since he carried her out of her 'prison'.

Her family and friends had been allowed in as soon as Pie saw that she had finally gotten enough discernment in her one-sided conversations with him to be around others again. They had all come in, given her hugs and hung around for a few minutes, but then they trickled out with the specific goal of giving Rin and Keiichiro some alone time.

Rin glanced up at him, unsure of what to say. There was so much she wanted to tell him, but nothing came out. So he spoke first.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," He said as he came to stand beside her. "Is the pain medication still doing its job?"

"Yeah, but admittedly not as much as it was two hours ago," She said. The corner of her mouth lifted. "Granted, two hours ago, all I wanted to talk about was the pink polka-dotted corndogs taking over Pluto, but hey."

Keiichiro chuckled as he knelt down beside her, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"So, what did I miss while I was asleep?" Rin asked. She looked puzzled as Keiichiro looked down at the bedspread. "Keiichiro? What's wrong?"

"Rin, your parents told me and the others about you and Pie being…" Keiichiro trailed off, suddenly unsure if it was a good idea to mention it.

"_That_," Rin said softly. She sighed. "I knew they would eventually, like they told Rirī, Kish and Tart," She squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't be the one to tell you."

"I… I think I understand why you didn't," Keiichiro said. "But, even if they hadn't told me, would you have?"

Rin hesitated, tugging on a loose curl absentmindedly.

"Yes… and no," She said.

"Why 'no' and why 'yes'?" Keiichiro asked.

"This isn't something I'm proud of. I've stolen. I've killed. I've created things that kill. Cost people lives and livelihood. All before I was sixteen. This isn't a side of me I wanted you to see," Rin whispered. "I didn't know what you would think. Would you still want to be with me? Especially considering the reason I answered 'yes'?"

Keiichiro frowned.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Rin shifted and let go of his hand, reaching under her blankets for something. Keiichiro's brow furrowed as he saw that she was bringing the skirt of her gown above her waist, her blanket just barely over her hips. She took his hand again and guided it over the left side of her lower abdomen. His eyes widened at finding a thick scar—at least two inches long—on her stomach, just above her hip.

"Rin, what happened?" He asked softly.

"This scar is the reason I was being forced into retirement," She whispered, staring at his hand. "My last assignment—_our _last assignment—Pie and I had to fight our way out. I got stabbed right there. I was rushed back to the ship for emergency surgery. I was lucky, the blade had just missed my womb and other organs… but it cost me one of my ovaries. It took longer than it should have for my body to compensate for the loss, because I was so active. The Healers were worried that I wouldn't be able to have children, or I would have complications with pregnancies putting myself and the child at risk if I pushed myself any harder. So I was forced to retire.

"Oh, I cried and threw a tantrum over it all. Demanded to stay, said they couldn't make me resign, said it wasn't fair that Pie could still do all of those dangerous things while I was forced to the sidelines merely because I was a girl. And I said something I knew I would later regret. I said that I never wanted to marry, never wanted children, that I didn't care about any of that, I just wanted to continue doing what I had been doing. I didn't realize until later, after the tears had stopped and I had calmed down some that I was very wrong and had lied not only to the people trying to help me, but to myself. I wanted to fall in love. I wanted to become a wife and a mother and a grandmother. To find the right man for me and marry him, and then hold our child in my arms. And I realized that if I continued with the path I was on, I was never going to have any of that.

"So I gave up what I thought was important to me so that I could someday have what would be truly important to me."

"Just like that?" Keiichiro said in amazement. Rin smiled.

"Just like that," She said. She cupped his chin in her hand. "Because I knew someday I would find the smartest, sweetest and handsomest guy I would ever meet and I knew I would fall instantly, madly in love with him. Fell in love with you."

Keiichiro smiled and kissed her, long and sweet. She smiled, her eyes filling with tears.

"I missed you, you know," She whispered. "I hated saying the words I used to trick Mylo, because you are the only one I want to say this to. Keiichiro, I love you."

He took her in his arms and held her tightly.

"I love you, too, Rin. And I missed you too." He whispered in her ear.

Being careful of her ankle and by her invitation, Keiichiro laid beside Rin, his arms around her waist. They laid there in silence, just basking in each other's company for a few moments.

"By the way, Keiichiro," Rin whispered as she tucked her head under his chin. "If I am your queen, then you are not my knight, nor are you my prince, and certainly not my servant."

"Then what am I?" Keiichiro asked. Rin smiled sleepily up at him.

"You are my king," She said, arching her head up to brush her lips against his. He smiled and gently kissed her, rubbing her back gently as she slowly fell asleep again.

By the next evening, after spending practically the entire day in a medpod, Rin was back to normal and just as cheerful and exuberant as before, almost like her kidnapping had never happened. She was instructed to stay off her feet for a while, but she didn't mind that, as she told everyone she could decorate cakes both sitting and floating.

And Café Mew Mew was more than happy to have her back to doing just that.

* * *

**And that, my friends, is the end of this arc. A two-part arc begins Friday followed by some one-shot filler-y arcs. :)  
**


	26. Chapter 26

**Alright! Part one of two! Here we go!**

**So, I am finally getting to post my Valentine's Day chapters. Yep. In August. Great... Anywho (is it just me, or do I use that word a lot in my ANs? O.o)... Enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-Six:

The day at Café Mew Mew was coming to a close.

"I think that's the last of them!" Ichigo said cheerfully as the bell above the door jingled as the door closed, signaling that last of the customers had left, though there were still three minutes left till they locked the doors.

They started on cleaning when they heard the bell tinkle again.

"I'm sorry, but we were just closing," Homare said, looking up from the table.

They saw a tall, elderly American-looking man standing there, leaning on a wooden cane. He sighed.

"Ah, I'll come back tomorrow," He said. Despite the fact that he spoke with a slight American accent, his Japanese was flawless. "Anything to try these fabulous Café Mew Mew deserts the lady at the hotel was telling me about."

He turned to go, but Rōzu said,

"Wait!"

She bounded up to him.

"We still have some stuff left over we haven't put away yet," She said. "Would you like to take some back to your hotel?"

The elderly man smiled.

"Thank you for your kind offer, young lady. If it's not too much trouble, then, yes, I would like to do that," He said.

Rōzu nodded and led him over to a table, telling him what they still had leftover. The man told her what he would like. As Rōzu was writing it down, suddenly the man paled as he looked up just as Lettuce walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands off of her apron.

"Kiui?" He said. "Sawa Kiui?"

Lettuce froze and turned with wide-eyes to look at the man, who blushed.

"Forgive me, miss, you look like a woman I used to know, a long time ago." He said.

Lettuce started to tremble slightly, her eyes not leaving the man for a second.

"That… that is my grandmother's name," Lettuce said softly. "Everyone says I look just like her from when she was my age."

There was a stunned silence throughout the entire room.

The man stared at Lettuce and all was quiet. Then, he reached up and gently tapped his finger on Rōzu's wrist.

"Young lady, can I have my order changed for 'here'?" He asked.

"I don't think you have a choice now, sir," Rōzu said with a grin.

A few minutes later, the entire staff was seated around a table, each with a plate of food in front of them.

"Sir, who are you, and how do you know my grandmother?" Lettuce asked.

The man smiled.

"My name is Bradley Jack. I was born and raised in the United States. After I graduated High School, I joined the United States Army. When I was twenty-two, I was stationed here in Tokyo, Japan. While working here, I was introduced to a young secretary named Sawa Kiui, your grandmother, Miss Midorikawa." Jack smiled wryly. "And when I say 'introduced', I mean she come storming into my office unannounced, throws papers down on my desk and proceeds to tell me what I messed up, liberally using the word 'baka' as she does so, and tells me to fix the mess I made by the end of the workday. And of course I did out of fear of facing her ire again."

Lettuce smiled.

"That sounds like Kiui-Sobo," She said. "So, you two were friends?"

"Yes, after a while, we became great friends. More than friends," Jack said. He smiled sadly down at his cup of tea. "We fell in love. My tour was almost over and I was heading back to the States, and I asked Kiui to marry me, that I would take her with me back to the States. But like every tragic love story, there was something stopping us.

"She was already engaged, through an arranged marriage. She didn't want to, but she would be a dutiful daughter and marry him, though she knew the marriage wouldn't make her happy. My last night in Japan was February 14th, Valentine's Day, and we made a promise to each other that in forty years from that day, we would meet in front of Tokyo Tower, regardless of whether we were still married or not. If one of us was still married, we would remain friends. If we weren't, we would try to rekindle our romance."

"That's so romantic," Homare said with a happy sigh.

Jack smiled sadly again.

"We thought so too. Well, I went back to America and married my high school sweetheart and we had a son and a daughter. While I still loved Kiui, I loved my wife and children dearly," His eyes went downcast again. "Heather passed away nearly fifteen years ago after a long battle with cancer. She wanted me to find love again, and that she would be happy knowing I was happy. 'Besides', she said, 'Someone's got to keep you out of trouble'. And so, forty years from the day I finished packing my bags to leave Japan, I prepared to board a plane for Tokyo. And, then I received a call from my son-in-law. My daughter, Carli, had been in a car accident, and they weren't sure if she was going to survive the night. So I cancelled my flight and headed to the hospital.

"After many hours of anxious waiting, the doctors told us she was going to pull through, to our relief. Jessica woke up and took one look at me and said, 'Shouldn't you be somewhere over the Pacific right now?'. When I told her that she was more important, she argued, saying 'Dad, Mom died telling you to be happy and to find love. I want you to find love and be happy. So go find her.' With her encouragement, I boarded the next flight to Tokyo. I arrived on Valentine's Day, late in the evening. I made my way to Tokyo Tower as quickly as I could…"

Jack's shoulders slumped sadly.

"But it was too late," He said. "She was gone.

"Every year for the past seven years, I've come to Tokyo on Valentine's day, waiting all day in front of Tokyo Tower, hoping that she would come, but she never has. The reason why I am nearly a week early this year is because all the flights to Tokyo closer to time were already completely booked, but I do not mind as Tokyo is something of a second home to me.

"So this is the complete story as to why, when I saw you, Lettuce, I was so happy. Because I thought I would finally see Kiui again."

Lettuce studied her hands in her lap.

"Kiui-Sobo did not have a happy marriage," She said. "My aunt was five and my mother was two when Kiui-Sobo filed for divorce. Her husband was drunkenly abusive to her and deprived her things like money and food," Lettuce smiled wryly. "As you've seen, Kiui-Sobo is very much a 'take-charge' person, and doesn't like being pushed around. So she took her daughters and left. She took up a job as a mangaka assistant, eventually becoming a manga story writer. She is not very trusting of men, and hasn't had contact with any of her family since the night she left, who refused to support her in any way. While she is very loving, she hasn't been happy in a long time." Lettuce looked up and smiled. "But we're going to fix that."

"We are?" Her co-workers and Jack said together, but Ichigo spoke up.

"We're going to get Jack-San and Kiui-San together!" She said brightly. "This is true love, and we're not going to let this story not have a happily-ever-after!"

"Ichigo's right!" Rin said, grinning. "Jack-San and Kiui-San deserve to get their fairytale ending."

"Yeah!" Rōzu cheered. "Café Mew Mew match-makers extraordinaire!"

"And I know just how to do it," Lettuce said, smiling. "In two days from now, all of my family on my mother's side is coming into Tokyo to celebrate my oldest cousin's engagement, as his fiancé's family lives here in Tokyo. If Kiui-Sobo won't go to Tokyo Tower to see Jack-San, than we will take Jack-San to see her."

"Hey, you said Jade's coming into town tomorrow," Mint said. "We should totally get her in on this."

"Yeah, Jade Onee-Chan is awesome, na no da!" Pudding said.

"I'll e-mail her when I get home and fill her in," Lettuce said, grinning widely.

The following afternoon, Jade burst into Café Mew Mew wearing a brown sweater that hung off her shoulders exposing thin tank-top straps, a short denim skirt overtop black leggings and red and white sneakers, her short dark green hair hanging loose around her face.

"The fantastic, amazing and downright awesome Cousin Jade has arrived!" She announced in her thick Osakan accent, throwing her arms wide dramatically before running over to embrace Lettuce.

"Lettuce-Chan! I know it's only been barely a month, but it feels like I haven't seen you in forever!" She squealed as she tightly hugged Lettuce, who returned the hug.

"Nice to see you, too, Jade!" Lettuce said, grinning. "Did you come straight from the train station?"

"Yup," Jade said proudly. "Ditched the 'rents and Aya-Chan with Keisuke Onii-Chan, Karina Onee-Chan-to-be and the party planners. What, you think I'm going to stand around and discuss hors d'oeuvres right after I finally get into Tokyo? Especially after that juicy e-mail you sent me yesterday? Who knew Kiui-Sobo had a secret lover all those years ago… It's all so romantic, getting them back together… Pudding-Chan! Ichigo-Chan! Mint-Chan! Zakuro-Chan!"

"Hi Jade-Chan!" Ichigo said with a laugh as she was also embraced by Jade, who proceeded to give the other Mews hugs while Lettuce called the others over to introduce Jade to them and vice-versa.

"And, of course, Mr. Lettuce's-tall-dark-and-sexy-boyfriend," Jade said with a grin as she cut off Lettuce before she could re-introduce Pie to her. Both Pie and Lettuce blushed while the others snickered, especially when Jade added, "I still need to give you a full interrogation before I leave. I didn't quite get a chance to do that at our first introduction. Gotta make sure you take care of my cousin really good, you know?"

"Alright, you can torment Pie and Lettuce later," Mint said, taking hold of Jade's arm. "We've got a lot of work to do."

The girls spent much of the next hour giggling and plotting. Jade told them as much as she knew about the party, in addition to giving them the official 'sister of the groom' invitation for the others to come to the party.

"Are you sure?" Homare asked. "We don't want to intrude or cause a problem."

"I'm sure," Jade said. "I've already talked about it with Onee-Chan-to-be and she's fine with it."

"You think Kiui-Sobo will be really surprised to see Jack-Sofu, na no da?" Pudding asked.

"I know she will," Lettuce said with a wide smile.

Sometime later, the two cousins left the Café, heading to spend time together before returning to their respective parents and brothers. Due to their closeness in age, Lettuce and Jade had always been close, despite the distance between the cities they called 'home'. They went to an ice cream shop to sit and chat over hot-fudge sundaes at one of the small outside tables.

"So, I've been following the Tokyo Defenders as closely as I can, but I want to know the inside scoop," Jade said in between bites. "What's been happening that the cameras aren't seeing? And what the deal with that pink-haired alien chick? I don't like the way she keeps looking at your man…"

"I don't either," Lettuce said. "Topaz has deluded herself into thinking that Pie is somehow rightfully 'hers' and has no qualms in telling me so."

"Pie isn't actually interested in her. Right?" Topaz demanded, her eyes hard as she held her spoon as if she was plotting to kill Pie with it.

"No, not at all!" Lettuce said quickly. "Frankly, I think she kinda freaks him out."

Jade visibly relaxed.

"Good. I thought for a second there I'd have to beat up your boyfriend," She said with a grin.

"Aw, and here I thought I'd have a partner-in-crime to do just that."

The two girls looked up to see Hiroki grinning widely at them over the bushes that acted as a fence for the ice cream shop.

"What do you want?" Jade sneered.

"Nothing to do with you, Fukumoto," Hiroki retorted.

Jade stuck her tongue out at him and pulled down her lower eyelid, but Hiroki ignored it.

"Lettuce, there's a party tonight and I want your cute face to come with me. I can even find a date for your cousin. Though it may take some begging and a pay-off…"

"Hello? Still here!" Jade snapped. Hiroki still ignored her.

"So, what do you say, Lettie?" He asked, still grinning at her.

"Sorry, Hiroki, but I'm going to have to decline," Lettuce said. Hiroki frowned.

"Come on, your boyfriend doesn't have to know you went out and had some fun," Hiroki said. "It's just a party."

"No, thank you," Lettuce said. "Pie had nothing to do with my decision. I just don't want to go."

Hiroki frowned.

"If he asked you to go to a party with him, you'd go. So what's the difference between going with him and with me?" He demanded.

"The difference is you're not her boyfriend, she's already said she doesn't want to go, and you're wasting our precious cousin time, so buzz off!" Jade snapped.

Hiroki frowned at her, but stormed off.

"Thanks," Lettuce said to Jade.

"No prob," She said, waving off the thanks. She frowned as she took another bite of ice cream. "I never liked him, Nakamura. Too possessive of you. Obsessive. Why have you been friends with him for so long?"

"Lately I've been wondering if we were ever truly 'friends'," Lettuce admitted. "I definitely don't think we are now."

Jade sighed

"I used to worry about you, Lettie-Chan. Worried that you'd end up just like Kiui-Sobo: in a marriage with someone you don't love, with someone like him. But unlike Kiui-Sobo, I don't know if you could have the courage say enough is enough and fight your way out."

Lettuce frowned. She didn't think she could be as brave and daring as her grandmother either and told Jade so. The other girl just merely nodded.

"That's why Hiroki could never be a good match for you. Why I think you and Pie fit. Hiroki is demanding of a relationship while Pie is much more lax, letting you lead enough so that you're not out of your comfort zone and leads you enough so that he's not out of his." Jade paused for a moment and her face turned serious, again looking like she was preparing to murder someone with her chocolate and ice-cream covered spoon. "You two haven't done it yet, have you?"

Lettuce turned scarlet.

"No! Seriously, no! Actually, this may sound a little weird, but," Lettuce showed Jade the thin ring on her hand. "He actually gave me a ring that basically says that we're not going to do, uh, _it_ until we're married, and that he is going to marry me."

"He proposed to you?! You've only been dating for six months!" Jade exclaimed.

"No, no, it's not an engagement ring, just a promise ring, saying that he will propose, just not now," Lettuce said.

Jade relaxed and squealed some over the ring. Then they went back to talking about what the Tokyo Defenders had been up to, laughing and chatting till the sun set.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (Scene Divider))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))

The next evening, Jack arrived at Café Mew Mew wearing a nice black tuxedo, excited and nervous about going to the party and seeing Kiui again.

"I never thought I would see her again," Jack said with a laugh. "I feel like a kid going to the prom with his crush."

"This is going to be the best night ever for both Jack-Sofu and Kiui-Sobo!" Rōzu proclaimed as Rin tied the bow on the back of her red dress while Homare quickly tied a ribbon to Rōzu's ponytail.

"I sure hope so," Lettuce said as she put her earrings in, unable to stop smiling.

Soon, they were at the ballroom of the hotel Jade's family was staying at. There were a lot of people, laughing, chatting, dancing, catching-up and giving well-wishes to the engaged couple.

"We're going to find Kiui-Sobo," Lettuce said to the others as she grabbed Pie's arm. "We'll be back soon."

The couple carefully navigated their way through the crowds, getting stopped occasionally by a family member to say hi.

"Lettuce, I know that this is a poor time to ask this, but is this a good idea?" Pie asked softly. "We do not even know if your grandmother has the same feelings for Bradley-San that she did forty-seven years ago."

Lettuce bit her lower lip. She hadn't even thought of that.

"I'm sure she does," Lettuce said, trying to convince herself. "I know it."

Pie sighed softly, but didn't say anything. Lettuce's eyes suddenly brightened and she pulled Pie over to a table where two elderly ladies in kimonos sat.

"Kiui-Sobo! Saori Oba-San!" Lettuce said.

The younger of the two women, who wore a pale green kimono with pink flowers and her green-gray hair in a bun with a thin pair of glasses resting on her nose, looked up at Lettuce and smiled.

"Lettuce magomesume!" She said brightly as Lettuce hugged her. "How are you, my dear?"

"Fine, thank you Kiui-Sobo," Lettuce said. She beckoned Pie over. "Kiui-Sobo, I'd like you to meet Ikisatashi Pie, my boyfriend. Pie, this is my grandmother, Sawa Kiui."

"Konbanwa," Pie said with a bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sawa-San."

Kiui-Sobo smiled.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, too, Ikisatashi-Kun. From what I've heard, you've been taking good care of my granddaughter," She said.

"Of course," Pie said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"That's Lettie-Chan's fella?" The other woman at the table said, a bit loudly. She squinted through her thick glasses at Pie. "Jade-Chan's right. He _is_ sexy."

Lettuce and Pie both turned scarlet while Kiui-Sobo put her forehead in her hand.

"Please forgive Saori Oba-San," Kiui said in exasperation. "She is old and senile."

"Oh, don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing, Kiui!" Saori snapped, reaching out with her cane to gently smack Kiui's leg.

"Anyways…" Lettuce said, her cheeks still tinted red. "Kiui-Sobo, could you spare a minute? We've got a surprise for you."

"For me?" Kiui-Sobo said, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah, this way," Lettuce said, taking her grandmother's hand and leading her away from Saori Oba-San, who seemed to have picked a new victim who made the mistake of choosing that table as a place to sit to eat.

"Again, Ikisatashi-Kun, I apologize for Saori Oba-San," Kiui said. "She is at that age where she doesn't quite know when to keep her mouth shut."

"It is fine," Pie said. "Though, I must ask, what is her relation in the family?"

"No one really knows," Lettuce said. Pie arched an eyebrow at her.

"She is the obligatory distant cousin that you only see at weddings and funerals. She just walked into a family reunion one day and has been coming to family gathering ever since, whether she was on the invited list or not," Kiui explained. She shook her head some. "She is very sweet, though, as you saw, she is very good at inviting elephants into a room."

"That… I have no idea what to make of that," Pie confessed.

"Neither does anyone else," Lettuce said. She saw Jade, who gave her a thumbs up and Lettuce nodded and she stopped walking, leading Kiui to a deserted table.

"Wait right here," Lettuce said. Kiui nodded as Lettuce and Pie disappeared.

"Alright, Jack-San, are you ready?" Lettuce asked once they were back over with the others.

"I've been ready to see her for forty-seven years," Jack said with a wide grin. He headed over to where Kiui was. The Tokyo Defenders followed, Jade with her video camera out. They stayed close enough to hear, but also stay out of sight.

"Oooh, I'm so excited!" Ichigo squealed as she excitedly clapped her hands and jumped up and down.

Kiui waited patiently, wondering what this surprise could be. And then…

"Kiui?"

Kiui turned and her eyes widened, her mouth going into an O. Though it had been many years, she recognized him instantly.

"Bradley-San?" She whispered.

"Kiui…" Jack said, coming to sit beside her. "It has been decades, but you are still that beautiful girl who walked into my office." He took her hand. She glanced down at their joined hands then up at him, her eyes still wide. "I've imagined this moment, dreamt of it far too many time to count."

"Bradley-San…" Kiui whispered again.

"Kiui, I have loved you all these years, and I always will," Jack said. "I love you Sawa Kiui."

The girls all were starry-eyed and the boys seemed to also be watching closely, waiting for Kiui's response. However, it shocked them all when it came.

Kiui removed her hand from Jack's, placing both in her lap as she bowed her head.

"I am sorry, Bradley-San," She said coolly. "But I do not return your affections."

Jack clearly was stunned. As were the Tokyo Defenders and Jade, who started glancing at each other with wide eyes.

"Kiui…" Jack whispered.

Kiui looked up at him with blazing eyes.

"I do not love you, Bradley Jack-San," She said. "You have wasted your time and breath. I am sorry." She took up quickly and gave a short bow. "Excuse me."

Lettuce and Jade glanced at each other before running after their grandmother.

"Kiui-Sobo, wait!" Jade called. Kiui turned to them, pain clearly in her tear-filled eyes.

"You two brought him here, didn't you? You shouldn't have done that. You just…" Kiui's voice trailed off as she shook her head and walked away, leaving the cousins in stunned silence.

Slowly, quietly, they headed back to the others.

"Gomen-nasai, Jack-San," Lettuce said, bowing low so no one saw the tears in her eyes. "I didn't know she would react like that."

"It's fine," Jack said, smiling even though it was clear he was hurt. "I shouldn't have expected her feelings to be the same.." He sighed but smiled again. "At least I got to see her one last time, right? Thank you all for appeasing an old man's wish to see an old flame again." He shook his head slightly and rose slowly. "I think it would be best for me to leave now." With a bow, he departed.

"Poor Jack-San," Rin said sadly.

Lettuce shook her head.

"I don't think she was telling the truth," She said.

"Lettuce…" Ryou started to say. "Maybe it wasn't-"

"Ah, look at this, guys. A beautiful party, and we weren't invited."

The Tokyo Defenders and Jade turned to see Topaz sitting on top of a table, her crossed legs swinging in front of her, a plate of food in her hands. Behind her was Bell, Pepper, Chile, Jalapeno and Cayenne floating in the air. Topaz grinned as she speared a small cube of cheese on the plate with one of her claw-like fingernails. She popped it into her mouth and licked her lips before tossing the plate aside.

"Looks like we're going to have to crash it," She said, bringing a parasite to her palm. "Bell, Pepper, hit it."

The twins grinned and teleported out. Seconds later, glass shattered and one of the walls crumbled. Someone shrieked as several snarling Chimeras entered the ballroom.

And one headed straight for Kiui-Sobo.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

Kiui looked at the Chimera coming towards her in shock, even more so when it was suddenly struck by a wooden cane.

"Jack-Chan?" Kiui whispered, her eyes wide as she saw who her savior was. Jack smiled at her wryly.

"That cane's not going to hold for long," Jade said. She grinned at the Defenders. "I think we're going to need some Tokyo Defending."

"'Need Tokyo Defending', I like that," Ichigo muttered as she reached for her pendant. "TOKYO DEFENDERS, GO!

"MEW MEW MINT!"

"MEW MEW LETTUCE!"

"MEW MEW PUDDING!"

"MEW MEW ZAKURO!"

"BATTLE-FORM PIE!"

"BATTLE-FORM RINDOU!"

"BATTLE-FORM LILY!"

"BATTLE-FORM TARUTO!"

"BATTLE-FORM ROSE!"

"MEW MEW STRAWBERRY!"

"BATTLE-FORM KISSHU!"

"METAMORPHO-SIS!" "TRANSFORMATION!" "REVOLUTION!" "FUSION!"

"For crashing this party, you will pay!" Mew Ichigo called out.

"Make us," Chile said with a wide grin.

"You guys get everyone out," Kish said to the remaining humans of their team. "We've got this."

"This is fun! You do this every day?" Jade asked as she kicked off her high heels to keep up with the others.

"More often than we'd like, that's for sure," Shinji said.

Jade ran over to Kiui and Jack, the former of whom was leaning on the latter, still stunned.

"Come on, Kiui-Sobo, Lettie's got this," Jade said, helping Jack support Kiui. That was enough to get Kiui out of shock, or at least a different kind of shock.

"Lettuce?" She whispered, eyes wide. Jack's eyes widened too as he realized the connection. Jade began to panic.

"I… I mean Mew Lettuce. And her teammates," She said hurriedly. Jack and Kiui both looked over at Mew Lettuce as she unleashed her attack on the Chimera. Kiui smiled.

"No," She said. "That is definitely my granddaughter."

"The famous Tokyo Defenders are one in the same as the Café Mew Mew wait-staff," Jack said. He grinned. "Who'da thought?"

"It's supposed to be a secret," Jade groaned. "Lettie's gonna kill me…"

Then her eyes suddenly widened as she saw little old Saori Oba-San smacking at one of the Chimeras that got away from the others with her cane, cursing it and yelling about yōkai, her gray hair coming loose and her glasses lopsided.

Jade started running towards the woman, but tripped over a broken chair leg, landing hard on the ground.

"Ow!" She hissed, as she brought her ankle to her, rolling it some. It ached, but she was alright.

She heard a cracking sound and looked up to see one of the decorative columns in the ballroom crack, beginning to crumble. She knew instinctively that the pieces were going to land on her, and that she wouldn't be able move quick enough. Jade ducked her head and covered her face quickly.

But she felt no pain, or anything hit her for that matter. In fact, the only thing she felt was strong arms around her.

Jade glanced up to see one of the aliens from Mylo's team holding her, his eyes focused straight ahead, not looking down at her.

"Th-thanks," Jade said shakily, though she wondered if her gratitude was a little premature. After all, Lettuce had told her that Rin had just recently been rescued from being held captive by Mylo. Could she, too, be held for ransom?

But he said nothing. She studied him some. He was very tall, and full of muscle. His hair was very long and worn in a low ponytail and he had cool jade green eyes. She wondered vaguely if she would ever meet a Cyniclon that wasn't handsome.

"For saving me," Jade reiterated. Still, he said nothing.

His feet hovered a few inches above the ground, and he carefully set Jade on her feet. She hadn't realized they had been flying, or that they were still in the ruined ballroom.

He merely nodded to her and turned away from her.

"Why did you save me?" Jade asked. He paused and looked over his broad shoulder at her. He shrugged and turned away again.

"I'm Jade," She blurted out. "Fukumoto Jade. What's your name?"

He paused again. And then, he responded,

"Capsicum Jalapeno." He said in a deep, rolling voice.

With that, he took off again, leaving Jade standing there for a moment, wondering what had just happened.

"Capsicum Jalapeno," She whispered. She smiled some. "Jalapeno-Kun."

She was brought back in the moment when she heard Saori Oba-San continue to yell at the Chimera. Jade decided it would be best to lead Saori Oba-San away from the 'dangerous yōkai' now…

"Alright, we've almost got this!" Tart yelled, smirking. "Mew Ichigo, now!"

"RIBBON STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!" Ichigo yelled, demolishing the Chimera.

"Alright!" Rōzu yelled, high-fiving Kish. "And another one bites the dust!"

"Aw, that one was my favorite," Bell said with a pout.

"That was your ten millionth favorite," Pepper said, rolling her eyes, but Bell still pouted.

"Don't worry, you'll just come up with a new favorite," Cayenne said.

"You always do," Chile grumbled.

"And there'll be other parties to crash using them," Topaz said with an indignant sniff. "This one was boring anyways. Come on."

With that, the aliens disappeared.

"Well, that was anti-climactic," Mint said.

"Yeah," Rirī said. "Almost disappointing."

Lettuce de-transformed, running over to Jade, Kiui, Jack and Saori Oba-San.

"Are you all alright?" She asked as the others followed.

"We are unharmed," Jack said with a smile.

"I slayed a yōkai!" Saori Oba-San yelled, waving her cane. "Let it be known that even at ninety-seven years old, I am still young and spry enough to kill yōkai!"

"Yes, and you did a very good job of it too," Jade said in a placating manner.

"Why did you do that, Jack-San?" Kiui whispered. "Why did you rescue me?"

Jack ducked his head slightly.

"I meant what I said," He said. "I still love you, even though you don't return the feelings."

Kiui then ducked her head, tears falling from her bright blue eyes.

"Then why didn't you come to Tokyo Tower on the day we had said we would meet again?" She asked in a whisper. "Looking forward to that day was the only thing that kept me fighting, kept me alive. Thinking of my love for you and my desire to see you again, aside from my daughters, was the only thing that kept me strong. I waited for hours, waiting and waiting and waiting… and still you did not come. So I left with a broken and bitter heart.

"You were the last man I was putting my faith in. My father and beloved brothers abandoned me to an abusive husband and his drunken frustration that I could not produce a son. They all left me to raise my daughters on practically nothing. I wanted, desperately needed that love you showed me, though our time together was brief. I wanted you… But you never came."

Jack instantly pulled Kiui into a hug, gently kissing her temple. Then he righted her so that they were eye-to-eye.

"Kiui," He whispered. "I wanted so desperately to be there that day, to see you and fall in love with you all over again. But I didn't step on to the plane when I was supposed to because I was afraid that I wouldn't see my own daughter alive again if I did. She had been in a horrible car accident, and we didn't know if she'd survive the night. Miraculously she did and with her encouragement, I headed for Tokyo. I arrived… but I arrived too late. You were gone by the time I had gotten to Tokyo Tower.

"Every year since then, I have come to Tokyo and waited in front of Tokyo Tower, our Tower, our meeting-place, all day every Valentine's Day, praying that you might come. It was fate that brought me to Tokyo early this year, fate that I stepped into Café Mew Mew and saw Lettuce, your splitting image, fate that brought us here tonight." Jack smiled wryly. "And a few giant monsters that led to this moment."

"Chimera Animals," Kish said with a grin. "Sometimes, you just gotta love 'em. Ow!" Kish grunted as Ichigo elbowed him in the ribs to get him to shut up.

Kiui laughed, rubbing her eyes.

"I feel so stupid," She said. "I meant nothing of what I said. I was only speaking bitter lies. I do love you, Jack. I have loved you since the day I laid eyes on you. Please forgive me, Jack."

"Always, my love," Jack said, wiping away one of her tears. "And I will always love you."

To everyone's surprise, Kiui's especially, Jack got down onto one knee.

"And to prove it, I am going to do something I should have done forty-seven years ago," Jack said, reaching inside his coat. "Perhaps if I had, we would have both been spared a lot of pain."

"Jack…" Kiui whispered as he fumbled around, muttering something in English until he found what he was looking for. Jack pulled out a small black box. Smiling, he opened it, revealing a diamond ring. Kiui clasped a hand to her mouth, her wide eyes teary again.

"Sawa Kiui, I promise to love you, protect you and care for you every day for the rest of our lives," Jack said. "Will you marry me?"

Her eyes overflowing, Kiui hugged Jack.

"Of course I will, you big baka!" Kiui exclaimed with a laugh as she kissed Jack, who laughed and held her tight.

"And all's well that ends well," Zakuro said softly with a smile as she leaned on Ryou.

Lettuce couldn't stop smiling, her own eyes welling with tears as Pie wrapped his arms around her.

A few days later, on Valentine's Day, Jack and Kiui married in front of Tokyo Tower. It was a fairly small event with only Kiui's daughters' families and Jack's son and daughter's families (Thanks to Ryou, who arranged a flight for them) and, of course, the Café Mew Mew staff. No one was really 'dressed up', but the girls all wore kimonos (which excited Carli, Jack's daughter, who always wanted to wear one).

Jade and Lettuce were co-maids-of-honor while their mothers and Carli were co-matrons-of-honor. Jack's son Clint was the best man while Uri and Jade's brother Keisuke were groomsmen. Jack's six and eight year old grandsons Timothy and Joshua were the ring-bearers while his little four year old granddaughter Mia and Jade's five year old sister Karina were the flower-girls.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," The priest said in Japanese, then repeated in English. "You may kiss the bride."

Everyone clapped as Kiui and Jack kissed, both looking like this was the happiest moment of their lives.

"Congratulations!" Ichigo said later at Café Mew Mew, where they held the small reception.

"Thank you," Kiui said, her arm around Jack's. "And we do truly owe our happiness to you all."

"Hey, don't thank us, thank Lettuce," Jade said with a grin, causing Lettuce to blush slightly.

"Yeah, this was Lettuce's idea from the beginning," Homare said. "We just helped."

Jack and Kiui smiled and each other knowingly.

"Well, somehow we're not too surprised to hear that of 'Mew' Lettuce," Jack said with a wink.

The Tokyo Defenders looked momentarily stunned, and then Lettuce turned slowly to Jade.

"Jade…" She said warningly. Jade nervously smiled and laughed weakly.

"Yeah, I'll go find a thousand needles to swallow now," She said, edging away.

"Don't worry," Kiui said with a laugh. "We won't tell a soul, not even your parents."

"Thank you," Lettuce said. "And if Jade promises to keep her mouth shut from now on, I won't hold her to the 'swallow a thousand needles' thing."

"I promise!" Jade said quickly, throwing her arms around Lettuce.

"If there is anything you would like us to do, please tell us and we will do whatever we can," Jack said. "No matter how small or large it might be. We owe you that much."

"Arigato," Ryou said.

A second later, Karina and Mia came running up, Karina asking in Japanese if it was time to cut the cake and Mia making the same request in English. Despite the language barrier, it was clear that the two girls were becoming close friends

A while later, Pie sat down beside Lettuce, handing her a cup of punch as they watched some of the others dance. He carefully wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close as she sipped her drink.

Lettuce smiled and leaned into Pie as they sat there, watching the others dance, just enjoying the moment of just the two of them. Suddenly, she sat up and reached into her obi.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I've got something for you," Lettuce said, pulling out a small white flat box tied with a dark purple ribbon. She smiled shyly at Pie as she placed it in his hand.

"Happy Valentine's Day," She said.

"You did not have to get me something," Pie said.

"I wanted to, though," Lettuce said, blushing some. "Go on, open it."

Pie did so and pulled out a black cord necklace. Hanging from it was a small green porpoise charm with blue eyes and a small white dragon with indigo eyes.

"You gave me a promise ring, and I wanted to give you something in return," Lettuce said. "To say that I promise to always be by your side."

Pie smiled and kissed her.

"I love it, thank you," He said, tying the necklace around his neck. Lettuce looked very pleased with herself. Pie squeezed her hand.

"And I am going to make another promise to you," Pie said. "I promise you that we will be as happy as Kiui-Sobo and Jack-Sofu when we are that age."

Lettuce smiled.

"I like that," She said softly as she snuggled into Pie again. "I really, really do."

So they sat there together, enjoying the happiness they felt then and there, thinking about the happiness that had yet to come.

* * *

**And so ends Valentine's Day in Story-World. Should be finished with February soon. I hope.**


End file.
